Daddys Little Angel
by theicemenace
Summary: He was being pulled through time and space again, bright light all around. Quantum Leap/Stargate: Atlantis Crossover.
1. Oh, Boy!

**A/N: **Quantum Leap/Stargate: Atlantis crossover. SGA time period is after "Phantoms" in season three and before "The Seer" in season four. It could be any time in the QL universe.

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter One**

**Oh, Boy!**

He was being pulled through time and space again, bright light all around. He tried to close his eyes this time to see if that would help the disorientation but it didn't. No matter what he tried dizziness made him stagger when he leaped into his next "assignment".

When his vision cleared he was looking down at white shag carpet. He saw cat images on white sneakers with pink shoelaces peeking out from under pink cords. With dread he brought his eyes slowly up to see that he was standing in front of a full-length mirror. The pink cords were accompanied by a long-sleeved pink and white turtleneck. Above that was a sweet little girl face with blue eyes surrounded by long blonde hair held back on the sides with pink barrettes. Behind him he could see an unmade child-sized canopy bed covered with stuffed animals, clothes and toys scattered all over the floor, ruffled white curtains, and cartoon characters on the walls.

His eyes focused on the image in the mirror again. "I'm a little _girl!_ God has a very _strange_ sense of humor." Sam Beckett told his reflection.

A distant female voice floated into the room. "Maddie, time for breakfast and daddy wants a kiss before he leaves for work."

_Daddy?!_ _Kiss?!_ "Oh, boy!"

* * * * *

_Okay, I have to think like a little girl. So, what do little girls think about? Toys? Clothes? Ponies?_

"Al, where _are_ you?" Sam whispered as he made his way down the stairs. It looked like he would have to endure being kissed by the girl's father. He kept telling himself to be cool and smile.

At the bottom of the stairs he looked around and saw the dining room and kitchen at the back of the house. An adult male with curly brown hair and an easygoing smile appeared around the corner and scooped him up. "There's my girl. How about a good-bye kiss?" Without waiting for an answer he planted a noisy playful kiss on Sam's cheek and gave him a quick hug.

"You're squeezing me…dad."

"Sorry. Be good for your mom today. Love you!" He slipped on a brown jacket, grabbed a laptop bag and was gone.

Sam was hungry so he went to the kitchen. He remembered being small and had already made the mental adjustments for the larger scale of, well, everything. Entering the kitchen he saw a slim woman moving to and from a table where he could see a box of cereal, a carton of milk and glasses of orange juice. The woman turned and gave him a brilliant smile. "_There_ you are. Come eat." She sat down and patted the seat next to her. "Your Uncle Mer is coming for your birthday so I want you to clean your room. After that we'll go to the park."

He stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room just staring. The woman was blonde, blue-eyed and very pretty, especially when she smiled. Something Sam suspected she did a lot. "That's _mom_? Wow!"

"Maddie?"

Sam walked forward and climbed up into the chair she'd indicated. The woman poured cereal and milk into the bowl in front of him then turned to her own meal of oatmeal with strawberries and coffee. Sam eyed her coffee cup enviously and dug into the food in front of him. _Ew!_ He thought. _The milk tastes _awful! He must have made a face.

"What's wrong, sweetie?"

Truth was a good thing and Sam used it now. "The milk tastes…funny."

Mom checked the carton. "It's not expired and you've always liked the soy milk before."

_Soy milk? No wonder!_ To someone who'd grown up on a dairy farm soy milk was a crime against nature. Sam finished eating without further comment then reached for the orange juice to kill the taste. He drank the entire glass without stopping then took his dishes to the kitchen sink. When he returned to the dining room he wiped down the table where he'd been sitting and pushed his chair in. After returning the sponge to the kitchen he went back to the dining room again. Mom just stared at him as if she'd never seen her daughter act this way before. Well, maybe she hadn't. Sam's mother had trained him to clean up after himself and doing so was automatic.

The sliding door sound that always heralded the appearance of Sam's holographic observer whooshed on the far side of the table. Sam tried to keep his face expressionless when Al stepped out of the imaging chamber wearing one of his more outrageous outfits: Green leather pants, a green leather jacket with huge red polka dots, a blue and yellow striped tie and red shoes with silver and purple laces. When he emerged he was already laughing. Sam didn't need to ask why.

"Oh, Sa-am," Al sing-songed, "you are so _cute_! I _especially_ like your little pink barrettes and Hello Kitty sneakers."

Sam stared thoughtfully at him a moment then said, "Mom, people who dress like they're colorblind shouldn't make fun of other people just 'cuz they're little and like the color pink, right?"

Mom's eyes went wide in surprise. She knew her daughter was smart but had no idea she even knew about colorblindness. "Yes, sweetie, that's right. Uh, do you know what being colorblind _means_?"

"Of course. It's when someone can't see the differences between some of the colors that others can see. It's mostly genetic, but can also happen because of eye, nerve, or brain injury, or due to contact with some chemicals. The most common are red-green hereditary photoreceptor disorders that are genetic." Sam beamed. "I'll go brush my teeth now, okay?"

Mom stared at him in shock. "Uh, a-a-and clean your room or we won't be going to the park." She stood and took her own breakfast dishes to the kitchen.

"Whoa! I'd love to have her 'mother' me. She has got an almost perfect…" Al had his hands out in a familiar gesture.

"Al!" Sam whispered through gritted teeth.

"Smile. I was _gonna_ say smile."

"_Sure_ you were. Upstairs. Now!"

*****

Sam brushed his teeth then went back into the bedroom he'd appeared in. Al was already there. Sam began picking up the toys and clothes strewn around the room while he waited for Al to get to the point. Unfortunately, he seemed content to just watch Sam, in the guise of a little blonde girl, as he cleaned the room. It wasn't a weird kind of watching, just annoying. Finally, Sam had had enough silence. "_What?_"

Al gave him a slightly nauseous look. "Well, it's just so hard to take you seriously when you look like you're four years old. I feel like we should be talking about cartoons and dolls not saving someone's life or…whatever."

"Well, I won't leap until we fix whatever went wrong so…get over it!" He was standing, hands on hips and tapping one foot. "Well? Who am I and why am I here?"

The brightly colored device in Al's hand beeped and squealed as he tapped the buttons. "Mmm-mm, we know who you are, uh, who you're _supposed_ to be, but Ziggy's not sure yet why you're here…" he waved a hand at Sam to indicate his current state, "…in this particular, um, body." He consulted the handlink. "It's 2007. Your name is Madison Miller, age four but your birthday is in a few days. You are the only child of Kaleb and Jeannie Miller. Kaleb teaches AP Literature and Composition at a local community college. Jeannie is a stay-at-home mom who dropped out of graduate school to get married. She was on the fast-track to a high-profile career in theoretical physics, quantum mechanics…cos-cosme-cosmetology?" He hit a few buttons and the device squealed again.

"I think you mean _cosmology_, Al." Sam told him as he lifted the lid on a toy box and dropped a bright purple bean bag animal inside.

"Huh? Oh, right. Cosmology and, well, other stuff like that, then she meets Kaleb Miller, they get married and have you, uh, Madison. Because of it, she was estranged from her only living relative, a brother, for nearly four years." He laughed. "Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay, a physicist doing top secret work for a multi-national combined military and civilian organization called the SGC. That stands for…"

"Stargate Command."

"Uh, yeah. How did you…"

"I did some consulting on the project a few years ago, relatively speaking. No pun intended." The joke fell flat when Al stared uncomprehendingly at him. "I've met McKay. He, uh, prefers to go by Rodney and who can blame him? And now I'm his _niece_?" Sam sighed in frustration. "So, that means I'm in Canada."

"Yeah. Sorry. Oh, that's right. You're from Indiana. That's _almost _like Canada, right?"

Sam gave Al a look that on an adult would have been chilling. On a small girl, it looked comical and Al coughed to cover up a laugh. "Oh, and _Rodney _will be here tonight. He's coming for your, uh, Madison's birthday.

"I'm gonna to go see if I can give Ziggy a kick in the hard drive to get her going on why you're here."

"Okay. Don't be a stranger." His friend waved a hand and disappeared into the rectangle of white light.

Sam finished cleaning the room and making the bed then loaded all of the dirty clothes into a white basket he found in the closet and dragged it down the stairs to the laundry room off the kitchen. When he turned around, mom was there giving him that odd look again.

He gave her another of Madison's winning smiles. "I'm ready to go to the park."

*****

Jeannie walked beside her daughter as they made their way to the park near their home. She kept giving her sidelong glances. Madison had been acting strange all morning. First there was the milk, then the recitation about colorblindness and then bringing her laundry downstairs. She wasn't sure what to make of it but she made a mental note to talk to Kaleb when he got home.

To fill in the silence Sam began to hum one of his favorite songs and Jeannie laughed. He smiled back then began to sing out loud, "To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe, to bear with unbearable sorrow, to run where the brave dare not go…" When he was himself, he knew he had a decent singing voice but his little girl voice singing the theme from "Man of La Mancha" was weird even to someone used to weirdness.

Jeannie took him by the hand, added her own voice to Sam's and they began to walk faster and faster then broke into a run, "This is my quest, to follow that star, no matter how hopeless, no matter how far…"

They hit the park at the song's climax, "To reeeeeeeeach the un-reach-a-blllllllle…staaaaaaaaar!"

Jeannie laughed with such delight that Sam couldn't help but laugh too. And when she picked him up, hugged him to her and twirled around in circles, Sam was happier than he'd been in a long time just because he'd made Madison's mother happy. For Sam, it would forever be one of his favorite sounds, the sound of a mother thoroughly enchanted with her child.

"Maddie, that was awesome! Where did you learn that song? From daddy? Uncle Mer?"

Again Sam opted for the truth. "A friend taught it to me." He thought of Al and all those nights the two of them had listened to the soundtrack from "Man of La Mancha" for inspiration while working on Project Quantum Leap and a wave of nostalgia flowed around him. The spell was broken when Jeannie put him down and challenged him to a race to the swing set.

*****

Al made his reappearance as Sam and Jeannie were walking home from the park. As a hologram, Al didn't walk so much as float alongside keeping pace. He didn't say anything when they reached the house, just nodded up the stairs.

Sam nodded back. To Jeannie he said, "It's time for my nap. I'm going to my room."

"Um, okay. I'll wake you in an hour or so."

"Thanks, mom." Inside Madison's bedroom, Sam listened at the door for a moment in case Jeannie came upstairs. "What's up, Al?"

Without preamble he said, "Kaleb Miller will be killed in a carjacking three days from now."

"When and where does it happen?"

Al consulted the handlink. "Uh, he is on his way to teach his first class of the day and about a mile from home when it happens. A couple of punks decide that their car is the perfect vehicle for joy riding in and try to take it away from him when he stops at a red light. He gives them the car but they shoot him anyway, the creepazoids." The retired Navy Admiral had an unshakable sense of justice. He not only thought that criminals should go to jail for committing crimes but that they should also go to jail for being the type of person who would commit a crime. "They use the car in an armed robbery at a bank where a hostage situation ensues. Before it's over they kill two customers, a teller and the bank manager." Al's face took on a dark and dangerous expression. "The creeps kill themselves rather than go to jail."

"Okay," Sam said thoughtfully, ticking the points off on his hand, "I'm a four year-old girl and I have to stop a carjacking, a robbery, a hostage situation _and _the murders of four people."

"Well, once the carjacking is stopped the rest will just…go away…maybe."

"_Maybe?_"

Al bobbed his head a few times. "Ziggy says there's a fifty-fifty chance that stopping the carjacking will stop everything else. But there's also a fifty-fifty chance the robbery and hostage taking will happen anyway just with different, uh, people."

Sam yawned. His body was tired and a nap sounded heavenly. He kicked off his sneakers, climbed up onto the bed and pulled a handmade blanket over himself. "Fifty-fifty? What _aren't _you telling me, Al?"

Al scratched his ear and reluctantly admitted, "That second fifty percent? If Kaleb is saved the different people killed in the robbery will be Jeannie and Madison."

Though the information Al had just given him was major, the body he inhabited was already shutting down. Seconds after the pronouncement, Sam had succumbed to sleep.

**TBC**


	2. Uncle Mer, the Rubber Ducky and Bedtime

**A/N: **Quantum Leap/Stargate: Atlantis crossover. SGA time period is after "Phantoms" in season three and before "The Seer" in season four. It could be any time in the QL universe.

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Two**

**Uncle Mer, the Rubber Ducky and Bedtime**

Jeannie heard the doorbell and rushed to answer it. "Mer! You're early. We didn't expect you until tonight."

Rodney McKay dropped his duffle just inside the front door and hugged his sister. "I finished a little early and decided to surprise you. Where's, uh…?" He snapped his fingers a few times.

"Madison? Upstairs taking a nap." She glanced at the clock. "You can go up and get her if you like. Put your stuff in the guest room. Third door on the left. Sorry but you and she will have to share a bathroom."

He shut the front door and glanced at his sister then up the stairs. "Uh, okay."

* * * * *

After depositing his duffle in the guest room, Rodney knocked on the door to Madison's room. "Madison? It's Uncle, uh, Mer." When there was no answer he opened the door and peeked in. Madison was sound asleep under a pink, purple and white child-sized blanket with caricatures of zoo animals on it. He stood there gazing down at his niece and thought she looked…sweet. Her face was relaxed in sleep, mouth slightly open and a small fist squishing her cheek. Unbidden a memory of Jeannie at this age slipped into his mind and he smiled. He gently shook the small shoulder. "Madison? Wake up."

She sat up rubbing her eyes. "How long was I asleep?"

If he thought it an odd question for a child to ask he didn't show it. "Don't know, little one, but your mom says it's time to get up."

The small arms stretched up over her head and she finally looked him in the eye. "Is that you, McKay? You're early. We need to talk and soon."

"Excuse me?" Rodney was more than a little startled.

Sam tossed the blanket aside, slid off the bed and began putting his shoes back on. "Oh, sorry. I forgot. Okay, here's the deal. I don't have time to beat around the bush so I'm just going to dive right in." He took a deep breath. "I'm not Madison Miller. My name is Dr. Sam Beckett."

"How do you know Dr. Beckett, Madison?"

"Because he's me, I'm him, whatever." Rodney looked back at him skeptically. "I can see you don't believe me. Remember when we worked together at the SGC a couple of years ago?"

"Of course." The physicist looked at his niece trying to determine if she was pulling off an elaborate prank. "Okay, if you're Dr. Beckett tell me something only _he_ would know, um, that I would also know."

Sam thought a moment then smiled. "Are you still mooning over Major Carter?"

"I, uh, I'm not mooning…a-a-and she's a Lieutenant Colonel now." Rodney felt himself beginning to lapse into one of his stuttering fits and took a deep breath to calm down. "How, uh, how…"

"Face it, McKay, you aren't exactly subtle." Sam finished tying his shoes and straightened the clothing that had become twisted during his nap.

Rodney had to admit that the speech patterns and mannerisms were nothing like his niece's. They were those of someone much older. Now that he thought about it, she, uh, sounded a little like Sam Beckett.

"While I was at the SGC we talked about something called Project Quantum Leap. Well, it works." He waggled his hand. "Sort of. There was a…flaw in the programming. The first time I used it I 'leaped' but now I can't get back." Sam crossed his arms and sighed. "Would you _please_ sit down? Looking up at you is giving me a sore neck."

"Huh? Oh, sure. Sorry." Rodney sat down on the floor to get eye-to-eye with his niece, uh, Sam Beckett. "Well, from what you told me, Dr. Beckett, I didn't think it would work."

"Call me Sam and I remember, but I assure you it's true. We use the term leaping for what I do. Instead of just _observing_ history as we had originally planned, I leap into the body of someone who is associated with an incident that God, fate or whatever feels went wrong the first time around. The only way to leap _out _is to put right what originally went wrong."

"So you're actively involved in how each incident unfolds. That's…that's…" Rodney didn't have a word for what he was feeling. It was part fear for a man he hardly knew but admired as much for his steadfast belief in his own theories as his intelligence which, all ego aside, nearly rivaled his own. In his own mind he actually envied Sam though he'd never say so. The greater part was fear for his family.

"_That's _why we need to talk." Sam had his hands on his hips. "Your brother-in-law will be killed by a carjacker three days from now. The carjackers use his car when they rob a bank and in the process kill two customers, a teller and the bank manager. And that's not even the worst of it."

Rodney's heartbeat speeded up. He wasn't that fond of Kaleb but Jeannie and Madison loved him. There was no way he would let the man die! "There's _more_? What could be worse?"

Sam nodded gravely. "According to Ziggy, there's a fifty-fifty chance that, if you save _Kaleb,_ then Jeannie and Madison will become the customers killed in the bank robbery."

* * * * *

He attempted to digest the information that he, and Sam, had to choose between saving his brother-in-law or his sister and niece. They would save Jeannie and Madison, of course. Then a sudden thought occurred to him. "W-W-Wait. When you leap _in_ where does the person whose body it is go? Where is my niece? And why are you in my _niece's_ body? Why not Jeannie or me or Kaleb or…a next door neighbor?"

"Don't know. I have no control over who I leap into."

"Well, Jeannie is going to be _frantic_!"

"You're going to tell her? Why?"

"_Why_? Her daughter is, uh, well she's…" Rodney tried to picture himself telling his sister that an adult male was now inhabiting her four year-old daughter's body and the daughter was somewhere in the future or the past, whatever, but all scenarios had her having him, her brother, committed.

"Madison is _fine_. If anything were wrong Al would have told me."

"And Al is…Oh, Rear Admiral Albert Calavicci. You mentioned him, too. So she's there in, uh, New Mexico with him?"

"Yes. She's in a waiting room and he'll see to it she's taken good care of."

Rodney sagged in relief but before he could ask any additional questions his sister's voice floated up to them. "Madison, Mer, come set the table for supper. Daddy will be home soon. We're having tofu chicken and stir-fry veggies!"

Sam looked nauseous. "I _hope_ she's kidding."

Rodney climbed to his feet and they headed for the stairs. "She's not."

"Oh, boy. At least it explains the soy milk with my cereal this morning."

The physicist looked down at Sam. "You've been here since _this morning_?"

"Yeah. Kaleb left for work just as I got here. I had to endure being hugged and kissed by him." The very idea startled a laugh out of Rodney and Sam laughed along with him.

Jeannie was at the bottom of the stairs when they started down. "What's so funny you two?"

"Uncle Rodney just told me a funny joke."

"Since when do you call him Rodney, sweetie?"

"Since he asked me to. He doesn't like to be called Meredith." Sam took Rodney by the hand. "Come on, _Uncle _Rodney. Let's go set the table."

"Uh, okay." The uncomfortable look he flashed his sister made her smile as she followed them into the kitchen.

* * * * *

After supper, Sam and Rodney retired to Madison's bedroom for privacy. Neither had eaten much and Rodney's stomach kept growling. "Sam, I'm sorry. I can't concentrate on an empty stomach. It's a good thing I brought some provisions."

"Is there enough to share? I grew up on a dairy farm and tofu just doesn't do it for me."

"Sure. Come on." They headed for Rodney's room but were intercepted by Jeannie.

"Time for your bath, Madison." She turned to Rodney. "You ready, Mer?"

Rodney's eyes widened. "Uh, ready? For w-w-what?"

"When she heard you would be here today she asked if you could give her a bath." She smiled with self-satisfaction and deep inner humor. "I promised her you would."

Sam and Rodney looked at each other and said, "Oh, boy!"

* * * * *

Forty-five minutes later Sam and Rodney were in Madison's room. They looked at each other then away. "Well, that was _beyond_ embarrassing." Sam had finished toweling his, uh, Madison's hair and was trying to run a comb through it but wasn't having much luck.

"No kidding." Rodney took the comb from him and kneeled on the floor. "Turn around, Sam."

"Why?"

"Just do it. I'm, uh, going to comb your, uh, Madison's hair." Sam glared at him over his shoulder. "Well, you're doing a crappy job. I couldn't _possibly_ do any worse." He pointed the comb at him for emphasis, "As long as you don't tell anyone."

"Promise. Not a soul." The whoosh of the Imaging Chamber door opening sent a sense of dread through Sam. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? What's uh-oh? Why did you say uh-oh?"

Sam sighed in annoyance. "Al."

"Admiral Calavicci? He's here?" Rodney looked around but only saw his niece's bedroom.

Sam pointed to empty space in front of him. "He's there."

Al walked around Rodney looking at him from different angles. To Sam he said, "_This_ is Dr. Rodney McKay? I heard he was supposed to be some kind of super physics genius."

"He _is_, Al." Sam turned to look at his holographic friend.

"Hold still." This from Rodney.

"He doesn't _look_ that smart." Then Al noticed what they were doing and grinned like a fool. "Is he-is he _combing _your hair? Hehe! Wait'll Gooshie hears about this!"

"Al!"

"Sam! Stop moving!"

"Sorry. Could you just…hurry, please?" To Al he said, "He knows who I am-who I _really _am and he's going to help us."

"Are you talking to Admiral Calavicci now?" Rodney looked around but still saw nothing.

"Yeah, I can see how _smart _he is. Geez!" The sarcasm was heavy in Al's words. "Who else would you be talking to, an invisible friend?"

Sam crossed his arms and tapped his foot again. "Well, isn't that what you are? You're _my" _he made quotes in the air,_ "_'invisible' friend."

"I'm not invisible. I'm a neurological hologram."

"Al!" Sam made a frustrated sound. "_Why_ are you here?"

"Well, Ziggy doesn't know why but now the chances of Jeannie and Madison being killed have gone up. It's now sixty-forty if the carjacking is stopped."

"Oh, no. What's changed?"

"Oh, no what? What's changed where?" Rodney asked.

"It's now sixty-forty that Jeannie and Madison are killed if the carjacking is stopped." Sam faced Al again. "Get Gooshie and Tina to have a long talk with Ziggy."

Al sighed. "I'll try but you know how she gets. If we try to push her too hard she'll sulk again. The last time that happened she refused to order anything but liver and okra for the cafeteria." He hit a few buttons then stepped into the rectangle of white.

"What's going on? What did he say? Why did the odds change? Who's Ziggy? What's a Gooshie and who's Tina?" Rodney asked nervously.

"Al doesn't know why the odds changed because Ziggy won't tell him. Ziggy is the parallel hybrid computer that runs Project Quantum Leap. She hates to be wrong, frequently sulks and has a huge ego." Sam flashed him a look but he ignored it.

"Your computer is a _she_?"

"Yeah, well, that happened after I left. The head programmer, Gooshie, thought the computer needed a personality change but the only thing he actually changed was Ziggy's gender. Tina is Al's girlfriend and a tech on the project. Rumor has it Tina is having an affair with Gooshie, but you didn't hear that from me."

"No problem."

There was a knock on the bedroom door then it opened to Jeannie and Kaleb. "Hey, you two. We came up to say good night."

"Uncle Rodney is combing my hair." Sam flashed a grin over her shoulder at Rodney.

"I see that, sweetie." Jeannie said with surprise. "Mer, would you read to her? I'm sure she'd love that."

Sam nodded imperceptibly and Rodney said, "Uh, sure." Jeannie handed her brother two Dr. Seuss books, she and Kaleb hugged and kissed their daughter good-night then left them alone again.

"Maybe if I knew more about Project Quantum Leap I could help find the problem with the programming and you can get home." Rodney told Sam when they were alone again.

"Great! I'll need to get the info sent to you by Al, Gooshie or Tina because my memory is kind of Swiss-cheesed from the leap."

"Swiss-cheesed?"

"There are holes in my memory. I remember most things but much of the memories are missing. I can't be sure that what I'm telling you is everything you need to know."

Rodney thought it over. "Well, why don't you start with what you _do_ remember and I'll fill in the blanks later?" He went to his room and brought back a pad and pen then pulled a chair up next to the bed. "Okay. Maybe you should start with your time travel theory."

Sam climbed up into the bed and pulled the covers up to his chest. "I developed my string theory with Professor LoNigro at MIT. It's based on an expanding, but finite, universe. A person's life is like a piece of string; one end is your birth and the other end is your death. If the ends are tied, your life becomes a loop. Next, you ball the loop together and the days in your life touch one another out of sequence. Therefore, jumping from one part of the string to another allows you to travel back and forth within your own lifetime and you are making a, well, a quantum leap between each time period. That is what Project Quantum Leap is all about."

"Do you remember any of the equations?"

"Some…I think." Rodney handed the pad and pen to Sam. "Maybe I can get enough down that you can fill in the blanks yourself."

"Just write down what you remember. I'm sure I'll be able to, uh, figure it out." Rodney was more than confident that he could finish Sam's equations.

Sam nodded and began to write, slowly at first then with more confidence. Just for something to do, Rodney picked up the first Dr. Seuss book and began thumbing through it. _Green Eggs and Ham_. He remembered reading it to Jeannie when they were kids. In fact, he remembered the text by heart.

The scratching of the pen against the page slowed. Sam was running into some of the holes in his memory. Rodney stayed quiet to let him think.

A knock on the door startled both of them. "Mer? Madison?"

The physicist motioned and Sam slid the pad and pen under the covers then Rodney opened the book to a random page and began to read, "Not in a box. Not with a fox. Not in a house. Not with a mouse. Come in!"

Jeannie opened the door and peeked in. "I thought you'd be down before now. She's usually asleep midway through the second story." Obediently Sam allowed his eyes to droop closed and Rodney brought a finger to his lips. He closed the book, shut off the bedside lamp and followed his sister from the room. When the door closed, Sam got up and sat on the floor by the Cinderella nightlight glowing in the corner to finish writing. Twenty minutes later he passed through the bathroom into Rodney's room and placed the pad and pen on the bed. By the time he got back to Madison's bed he was genuinely tired and was asleep within minutes of settling under the covers. As he fell asleep he hoped that he wouldn't snore this time.

A couple of hours later Rodney returned to the guest room and found the pad. He spent the rest of the night going over the equations. By morning he had tentatively filled in some of the missing pieces but most of them still did not make sense. There had to be more missing than Sam thought but he wouldn't be able to speak privately with the time traveler until later in the day when he and Sam, in the guise of Madison, went shopping for Madison's birthday gift.

Rodney changed into his pajamas, slid under the covers and was instantly asleep.

* * * * *

"Hello, little one." Al Calavicci said to the small girl in the waiting room. "How do you feel?"

"My name is Madison and I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but I know _you_. Your name is Al Cala-Calavicci and you're a friend of Sam's."

Al was speechless for a few moments. "Uh, that's right. How do you know Sam?"

Madison smiled as if it were perfectly obvious. "When Sam leaped into me we were the same person for a few seconds so I know some of what he knows and he knows some of what I know."

"Uh, okay. I'll ask him the next time I go see him. Are you hungry?"

"Mmm-hmm. And thirsty."

Al tapped at the handlink. "What do you like to eat and drink?"

Madison tilted her head to the side thinking. "I've never had a kid's meal from the Burger Barn. They come with a drink and either a girls or boys toy."

"Okay." He addressed the air. "You listening, Gooshie?"

Madison looked around when a voice came out of the air. "Yes, Admiral. SammyJo is on her way."

"Great." He looked down when Madison tugged on the bottom of his jacket.

"Al, would you eat with me? I don't like being in this room alone."

The retired Admiral slapped himself on the forehead. "Of course you don't. Sure, I'll stay here with you as long as I can. Gooshie?"

"Your usual, Admiral?"

"Yes, please."

"So, Madison, do you have any questions?"

The small girl got up and walked around the room looking at the furniture then stopped to stare at the camera in the corner. "Will they be watching me all the time? Gooshie, Tina, SammyJo, Dr. Beeks...and Ziggy?"

Al bobbed his head a few times. "Well, yeah. But that's just to make sure you're okay."

"Okay. So can you 'splain Sam's time travel string theory? I didn't get all of it when we were together."

Hiding his shock, Al said, "Um, I don't really understand it, sweetheart. If you're a good girl while you're here, one of the others will do that."

"Okay." Al became a little unnerved at Madison's unblinking stare and he wondered what she was thinking. He didn't have long to wait. "Why do you wear those funny clothes?"

He looked down at the bright yellow shirt, purple tie and purple and yellow striped pants. "Well, I was in the Navy for a long time and we had to wear uniforms all the time. When I retired I decided not to wear anything that was exactly like everyone else's so…" He gestured to himself.

Again there was the unblinking stare. The intelligence in her eyes reminded him so much of Sam that it made him sad that his friend wasn't able to leap home. They'd tried on more than one occasion to retrieve him but without success. Sam didn't even remember the one time he _did_ make it home.

Madison took him by the hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry. Sam will be fine. My mom and dad and Uncle Mer will take good care of him. And he'll get home one day." The smile she flashed at him was so filled with confidence that Al couldn't help but believe. "And if not, when I am old enough _I'll _figure it out. You'll see. I'm going to be a physicist like my mom and Uncle Mer."

**TBC**


	3. Ballet Lessons and Barbies

**A/N 1: **Quantum Leap/Stargate: Atlantis crossover. SGA time period is after "Phantoms" in season three and before "The Seer" in season four. It could be any time in the QL universe.

A/N 2: I have used some ballet terms in this chapter. If I have gotten it wrong in any way, please let me know what the correct term/usage is and I will fix it. Oh, and the French. I know more Spanish and Latin than French. On the other hand, I am very fluent in Sci-Fi and English. _Merci!_ Sandy

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Three**

**Ballet Lessons and Barbies**

Jeannie looked around to make sure she and her husband were alone before bringing up a subject that had her puzzled: Madison's recent behavior.

"Kaleb, uh, Madison has been acting…odd."

"Odd how?" He moved from counter to fridge and back packing his lunch.

She gave him a quick rundown of the incident with the milk at breakfast, brushing her teeth without being told to, cleaning her room better than she'd ever done, the laundry, that song she knew, taking a nap without a fuss and the recitation on colorblindness.

Kaleb laughed at his wife's concerns. "Honey, I think it just means she takes after _your_ side of the family." Jeannie didn't look completely convinced so he took her in his arms. "Don't worry about it. We are _so_ lucky to have such a smart child. Any difficulties that come along with that we can deal with when they come up. And just think how annoyed your brother feel when he finds out that his idiot English teacher brother-in-law helped make someone who is smarter than he is."

Jeannie laughed and reached up to kiss him.

* * * * *

Rodney pulled the pillow around his head to block out the noise but it didn't help. The intrusion into the quiet of his sleep continued and was soon joined by a female voice. "Mer! Mer! Wake up! You're not sleeping all day like you did when we were kids."

"Alright! Alright! I'm _awake._"

The door opened and Jeannie invited herself in. "You promised to take Madison to the toy store and buy her a birthday gift. Oh, and she has a ballet lesson at two. If you don't get up soon, she won't get there on time."

"Stop _shouting!_ I'm getting _up_."

Satisfied that she had annoyed her brother by rousting him from a sound sleep Jeannie departed saying over her shoulder, "If you're not downstairs in twenty minutes I'm sending Madison up to get you."

He groaned as his bare feet hit the shag carpet. A glance at the clock told him that he'd barely slept seven hours. He'd worked late on Sam's equations and his mind was still tired from trying to decipher the work. _The holes in his memory are bigger than he thinks_, Rodney thought. _I could barely make heads or tails of it. Oh, well. He'll get one of his people to send me the complete info and I'll work on it then._

Going to the closet he pulled out a clean shirt and pants then went to the dresser for socks and boxers. He reached for the bathroom door just as it opened and there stood Sam. "Could you hurry please? We have to talk and it'll be easier if we're alone."

"I'm just getting a shower. I'll eat while we're out so I can get some_ real_ food. Downstairs in twenty minutes?" Sam nodded and left through Madison's room.

* * * * *

As he descended the stairs Rodney yawned and rubbed his eyes. Just as he reached the bottom step something his sister said before came to the front of his brain. "Jeannie! What do you mean Madison will be late for her ballet lesson if I don't get up? What-Oh, no. No-no-no-no! You aren't _serious_."

"Yes, I am. You're taking her to her ballet class at two then shopping for a birthday gift. And don't be all day about it either. Oh, stop rolling your eyes. You wanted to be a part of a family and this is what family _does_. They support each other, they share, spend time together and they do _with _and _for_ each other."

"Alright, I _get _it. Ballet then Barbies." He looked around. "Where's, uh, Madison?"

A small voice interposed itself into the conversation. "I'm here."

Rodney turned and saw Sam, as his niece, in a pink leotard, a wraparound skirt with a cat design, white tights and pink ballet slippers. He was carrying sweat pants, a sweatshirt and a light jacket. Madison's blonde hair was in a small bun on the top of his head.

Jeannie tapped him on the shoulder, gave him the car keys, the address and directions to the dance studio. "I'm guessing that you'll want to eat while you're out. You don't have to stay and watch though I'm sure she'd like you to. Just don't forget to pick her up at the end of class."

"What makes you think…Oh, ha-ha! Just because I left _you_ at the mall _one time _when you were fourteen."

"I was eleven. And you left me there for _five hours_ before you came to get me."

"And spent the entire time at the video arcade beating the all the other players. If I remember correctly, and you know I do, you managed to relieve most of them of their allowances that day." He made a snort of frustration. "Let's just drop it, okay? I _won't _forget her."

* * * * *

Rodney unlocked the car and opened the rear door. Sam looked at the child's booster seat securely strapped into the back seat then at Rodney. "A car seat?"

"Sorry, but yeah. You have to."

"But I'm not really a four-year old child. My body is here and her aura surrounds me so I am perceived to be the person I've leapt into."

"Huh. You never mentioned that before. Still, you'll need to use the car seat or I'll get a ticket. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we do _not_ want to attract the attention of the Vancouver police."

Sam climbed into the booster seat behind the front passenger seat. "You're right, but this is so embarrassing."

"Sorry. If you think this is embarrassing, just wait until you get to ballet class." Rodney pulled out of the drive and, using the directions given him by Jeannie, headed for the dance studio.

"It won't be that bad. I took some dance in college and I'm pretty good, if I do say so myself. At least I _think_ it was dance and I _think_ it was college."

Rodney rolled his eyes and looked at Sam in the rearview mirror. "Just remember that you're supposed to be a little girl. And I'm sorry to say this but Madison will be five the day after tomorrow. She's not that good."

"I'll remember." Sam assured him. "Can we stop at the Burger Barn? I am starving for a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake."

"No time. It's nearly two now. And I'm not sure that's a good idea. They're vegetarians so Madison's never eaten any type of meat or poultry. Won't it make you sick?" Rodney asked.

"No. It's _my_ body that's here, not Madison's. Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? The Admiral again?"

"No. I was just thinking of your niece in the waiting room. What if they feed her meat?"

Rodney moaned. "Jeannie will have a fit if she comes back sick."

Sam didn't say anything. He just crossed his arms and wished Al would make an appearance _before_ they got to the studio.

* * * * *

Rodney belched as he parked the car in front of the dance studio. He was so hungry when he arrived at the Burger Barn after dropping Sam off he made a pig of himself and would pay for it the rest of the day.

A glance at his watch told him he was a little early for the end of class. He decided to see what Sam was up to so he locked the car and went inside.

Class was still in session. Mostly mothers were in attendance watching the group with a variety of expressions. Most wore looks of pride and delight. Rodney felt bad for the girls whose parents were looking at their watches and huffing in frustration or talking on cell phones. The kids deserved to have their parent's full attention no matter what their abilities. This epiphany hit the physicist like a bolt of lightning. Even if Madison wasn't Madison at the moment she deserved to have him _there_ giving her moral support. He filed the epiphany away for future reference.

He caught Sam's eye and got a wicked smile in return. Sam whispered to the instructor, Madame Dubois, a woman in her late thirties with short red hair and bright blue eyes filled with humor and intelligence. She nodded and clapped to get everyone's attention. When she spoke, Rodney was surprised to hear that she was from the US and not French, Canadian _or_ French-Canadian.

"_Atención mesdames et messieurs_, please welcome to our humble studio Madison's Uncle. He has never seen his niece dance and she would like us to perform a short program for him. _Dames!_"

The girls formed a line standing with hands and feet in first position. The music to "You'll Be In My Heart" from the animated Disney movie _Tarzan_ began. (Sam made sure to keep his eye on Madame so he could follow the steps.)

_Grand-plie deux, pirouette en dehors, glissade, glissade, battements tendu deux, glissade, glissade, _**_de Côté, _**_glissade __en avant, __glissade __derrière… _

The program continued for another two or three minutes and ended with the girls back in line once again, _arabesque, __pirouette en dehors, _and finishing with hands and feet again in first position.

For a few seconds there was silence then Rodney stood and began to applaud forgetting for the moment that the small blonde girl was Sam and not Madison. This brought the others to their feet was well.

"_Magnifique!_" Enthused Madame Dubois. "_Tres __magnifique!_"

* * * * *

Out in the car Rodney couldn't help poking a little fun at Sam. "You were so _adorable_, Sam, especially in that pink leotard. Has the Admiral ever seen…"

"…seen what?"

"Nothing, Al. Where have you been?" Sam had been trying to ignore Rodney.

"I have been spending time with Madison. She, uh, remembers the leap. Says the two of you merged into one person just for a split second before she leaped and now wants someone to explain your time travel theory. She also says that you should have some of her memories."

"Wow."

"What's wow?" Rodney asked over his shoulder as he drove in the direction of the mall.

"I'll tell you later." To Al he said, "And you're here because…"

The Admiral tapped buttons on the handlink making it squeal. "Well, the odds have changed…again. Now they're seventy-thirty that Madison and Jeannie get killed. Ziggy says that everything changed when McKay arrived. Somehow he's upset the deli-deli…delicatessen?" He hit the side of the handlink and it gave a sustained high pitched squeal that hurt both Sam's and Al's ears. He hit it again and it finally stopped. "Oh! The delicate balance within the time-space continuum. I better get back, Sam. I think she's having a nervous breakdown. She won't play any music but a death metal group called 'Death to Strangers'."

"Hmm. Sorry. Oh, Al, Madison and her parents are vegetarians so be careful what you feed her."

"We've got that covered, Sam. She wanted a kid's meal from Burger Barn. SammyJo remembered she was vegetarian and got her a salad, fruit slices and milk instead of the burger and fries. She also convinced them to give Madison one of the toys that usually come with the kid's meals." Al made a strange face. "It was one of those Pony Princess thingies with pink and purple hair and a jewel on its…backside. She's given it the name Rocinante."

"Don Quixote's horse. I guess that proves she has some of my memories."

"Yeah. She understands that she won't be able to bring it back with her. Said she was going to leave it there so the next person has something to keep them company.

"There's something else too, Sam." He summarized the conversation he'd had with Madison where she told him that _she_ would make sure Sam got home. "What a kid!" He shook his head. "Oh, then I asked her what she wanted for her birthday. She said, and I quote, 'ask Sam'." Al flashed him a humorous look and departed.

As they drove toward the toy store Sam filled Rodney in on everything Al had told him. He was just a little stunned at the knowledge that his niece was more intelligent than he'd first thought.

"Why does that surprise you?"

"Well, Jeannie's you know, no _me_ but she does alright in the smarts department but her father is…" he paused and rolled his eyes, "…an English teacher with aspirations of being a novelist some day."

"And why is that a problem?"

"It's a problem because…well, it, uh, it just is! What else did the Admiral have to say?"

Sam looked inward for a few seconds. "He asked Madison what she wanted for her birthday and she told him to ask me." His face scrunched up as he thought it over then brightened. "Barbie as Glinda, the good witch from 'The Wizard of Oz' and uh, sorry. I can't remember anything else."

"What about some educational toys from that GeeksRUs store?"

Sam thought it over. "That's what she wants. Something from there."

"Good. We'll go there and the Toys R Us in the mall." Rodney turned serious again. "We need to talk about what to do to save Jeannie, Madison and Kaleb. Do you have any ideas? Because I have a few. Well, one."

"Beyond throwing a temper tantrum to keep everyone home at the appropriate times, no ideas yet. Let's hear yours."

As Rodney outlined his best idea Sam nodded. _Yeah. That could work. Maybe._ He'd talk to Al the next time he made an appearance.

* * * * *

The cashier looked at Rodney and Sam trying not to laugh. The physicist was carrying a Barbie in a long frilly pink gown with silver stars, a crown and holding a wand. "Are you sure this is the one you want, uh, Madison?"

Sam nodded vigorously. "Oh, yes! She's my favrit!"

"Okay. " Rodney produced his platinum American Express card issued to all members of the Atlantis expedition.

The cashier, an older woman with short brown hair and a matronly figure, rang up the purchase, bagged it and handed it to Sam, saying, "It is so sweet of your daddy to buy you such a pretty gift, isn't?"

Sam looked at Rodney who looked back with a horrified expression. "He's not my daddy. He's my Uncle Meredith and _this_ is my birthday present. I'm going to be five tomorrow." He held up one hand with all five digits extended.

"Well, that's practically grown up." She returned Rodney's card and handed him the receipt. "You and your Uncle-" she snickered, "-Meredith have a great day and happy birthday, sweetie."

Outside, Rodney rolled his eyes. "You know I hate that name."

"I know."

Sam buckled himself into the booster seat then Rodney pushed the doll back into his arms. "Here! And thanks _so _much for embarrassing me in front of the cashier."

"My pleasure…Meredith."

* * * * *

Madison was watching "Mary Poppins" and eating fresh vegetables with her Pony Princess, Rocinante, at her side. She sighed and clicked the power button on the remote to turn it off. "Ziggy?"

"Yes, Madison."

"Where's Al?"

"Admiral Calavicci is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah." She stood and looked up into the camera lens, the closest she could get to looking the computer in the eye. "Al said that someone would come in and 'splain Sam's time travel theory."

"Yes, I remember."

"Can you do that or can Gooshie or Tina or SammyJo or Dr. Beeks come in and talk to me? I'm getting bored in here by myself. Mom takes me to the park so I can play with my friends but I know you can't do that. Sam told me."

There was a pause as if the computer were weighing all the pros and cons of such interaction. "I am sorry. I will send someone in to keep you company and to explain Dr. Beckett's theories, if it is deemed permissible by the oversight committee."

"Thank you. And can I have a picture of my mom and dad? I miss them. And my Uncle Mer. He's coming for my birthday."

"Yes, we know. He's already there with your parents."

"Good. He'll take care of them for me and he'll know that Sam is not me." She paused. "Ziggy, what year is it here?"

"I'm sorry but we are not permitted to divulge that information at the risk of…"

"…altering the time/space con-con-continuum. I know. I was just curious if you're in the future or the past."

Again Ziggy paused. "We are a short time into the future from the year you have come from. I cannot say more though there is little chance that you will remember being here except perhaps as a dream. The same effect that keeps Sam from accessing some of his memories will do the same to you when you return home."

"Are you sure? I don't want to forget you and Al and the others. I want to remember because I want to help Sam get home."

"That may not be possible. We do not know how or why some of his memories are inaccessible but it may have something to do with leaping prematurely. Dr. Beckett says that there is an error in my programming but I do not think I have any errors. _I_ am perfect."

"My Uncle Mer could make you…more perfect. He's very smart, like my mom and dad."

"Dr. McKay prefers to be called Rodney."

Madison laughed with her hands over her mouth. "I know but mom calls him Meredith because she knows he doesn't like it and dad does it because mom does." The humor slid from her face. "I wish I had a brother just like my Uncle Mer. A sister would be nice too."

"Do not despair, Madison. You may get your wish one day."

* * * * *

"Sam! Sam! Wake up, Sam!"

"Huh? Wha-What's wrong, Al?" Sam sat up and rubbed his eyes. A glance at the clock told him it was the middle of the night local time.

"Ziggy just did a recalculation on the Millers. The odds have changed again. It's now eighty-twenty."

"But _why_? What is causing the change?"

"Uh-uh-uh, she doesn't know…exactly. Just that it has something to do with McKay."

Sam put his head in his hands then looked up at Al. "Okay. Get back and keep an eye on things. Let me know the _minute _anything changes either way, no matter what time it is, no matter where I am."

"Right." Al tapped the handlink and disappeared.

After he'd gone Sam climbed out of bed and went into Rodney's room. "Rodney? Rodney?"

"Huh? Wha-oh, it's you. Whaddya want?"

"I have an update. Ziggy says that the reason the odds have gone up to eighty-twenty. And, uh…"

"_What?_"

"Well, somehow…it's _your_ fault."

**TBC**


	4. Making Right What Once Went Wrong

**A/N 1: **Quantum Leap/Stargate: Atlantis crossover. SGA time period is after "Phantoms" in season three and before "The Seer" in season four. It could be any time in the QL universe.

**A/N 2:** I've been told that it is impossible for Sam to leap into the future because it would be outside of his lifetime. Ziggy would not have information in her databanks for that time period and would not be able to guide Sam on his quest to right what once went wrong.

I offer the following as a _possible_ explanation:

Project Quantum Leap was begun in 1999. The show itself ran for five years. Add five years to 1999 and you get 2004 which brings us into Madison's lifetime. The passage of time for Al, Gooshie, Tina, and the rest is moving forward normally. Even though Sam is leaping back and forth through time his _lifetime_, his _age,_ were he still in the future, is also moving forward (at least that seems reasonable to me.)

Now if we hypothesize that Kaleb is _distantly_ related to Sam then it would be possible for Sam to leap into Madison in 2007 along a genetic line. Sure, Ziggy said that it was "fixed" and it shouldn't happen again as it did when Sam leaped into his distant relative during the Civil War, but she's been wrong before. Not to mention that if she could fix something like that then she _should_ be able to fix the error that is keeping Sam from getting home.

Having information about the future could be an unforeseen side-effect of her original programming as well as the changes that Gooshie, Tina, and the rest have made while trying to retrieve Sam and one of the reasons that Ziggy goes a little odd at times. Like when she would only allow info to be input in Japanese or added an extra zero on the end of everyone's paycheck.

Then there's Madison and Sam getting a little of each other's memories. Who's to say that it _can't_ happen? And if you can't make stuff up that wasn't in the show then why bother to write fan fiction at all? LOL

Anyway, that's my explanation for better or worse. Read on and let me know what you think.

Sandy

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Four**

**Making Right What Once Went Wrong**

"Madison? What's wrong sweetie?" SammyJo asked the small child whose body was surrounded by the aura of Sam Beckett. She was on the bed crying and clutching her Pony Princess. Ziggy had produced a photo of the Miller/McKay family. Somehow she had managed to locate one that included Madison's uncle. They were sitting at a picnic table, Rodney on Jeannie's left looking uncomfortable, Kaleb on her right with Madison in her mother's lap. It had been taken at the park on a sunny afternoon. Playground equipment, trees and bright sunshine were all around.

SammyJo pulled the child into her arms and rocked her rubbing a hand up and down her back. "I-I-I want to go home! I miss my mom and dad and my friends. I don't want to stay here anymore. I'll still help Sam get home when I'm old enough but I want to go _home_. And where's Al? He promised he'd come back."

The young blonde woman made soothing sounds. "You'll be home soon, honey, I promise. Sam just has to…fix something first. And the Admiral will be here in a bit. He's talking to Sam now." She was surprised that this hadn't already happened. Most children her age would have been in hysterics within the first few minutes. The little girl had proven to be much stronger mentally than anyone would have thought. It had taken more than twenty-four hours for her to get to this point. Eventually Madison pushed away from SammyJo, rubbed her eyes with her fists and SammyJo handed her a tissue.

* * * * *

"Gooshie, center me on Sam!" Al punched the handlink and a few seconds later he appeared next to his friend. He and Dr. McKay were in Madison's room talking over different ways to save the Miller family.

Sam and Rodney were sitting on the floor pretending to play a kid's board game in case Jeannie or Kaleb came in.

"Sam!"

"Al, what's wrong? You look upset."

"I _am_ and when I tell you what I have to tell you then you will be too and so will, uh, he." Al pointed at Rodney.

"What's happening, Sam?" Rodney wanted to know.

Sam stayed silent for a few moments then asked Rodney to give him and Al some privacy. "Al, I need you to do something for me. Have everything to do with Quantum Leap sent to McKay. His security clearance is high enough it shouldn't be a problem. He's going to have a look at it and might be able to fix the error."

"Gooshie, did you get that? As soon as possible. Yeah, thanks." Al brought his attention back to the reason for his current visit, "Ziggy did another calculation. It seems that now Kaleb and Jeannie aren't going to be killed. It's just you and McKay."

"What? Why?"

Al bobbed his head side to side. "We're…not completely sure. Ziggy has a theory that it has to do with Project Quantum Leap and it might involve a new evil leaper. And get this. She thinks McKay might eventually figure out how to get you home and if _he_ doesn't then Madison will. Killing you here would keep Madison in our time where she may or may not retain your aura after you, well, you know, die."

"So the reason that Rodney and I are killed is because I gave him my equations?"

"Yeah, maybe. She seems to be on the fence about if it's you, him or both that are going to be killed and why. Can't seem to make up her mind, except about Jeannie and Kaleb. They no longer get killed at all."

"That gives more credence to the evil leaper theory. Sounds like originally Kaleb was killed to change what Jeannie and Madison do in the future. McKay coming here forced them to alter their plans to killing all three, then when I gave the equations to McKay that shifted the focus from mom and dad to him and me."

Al looked up at the ceiling. "What?" He listened to something Sam couldn't hear. "Oh, no! Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes." Al tapped the handlink and the imaging chamber door opened. "I have to go."

"What's happening?"

"Madison is crying for her parents. She wants to go home and is requesting my presence."

"She's a strong little girl. I would have expected something like this before now."

Al sighed and nodded. "Me, too. Later, Sam." And he was gone.

* * * * *

Al watched Madison on the Waiting Room monitor. Dr. Beeks was in with her and they were both coloring in coloring books. The small child had finally stopped crying but still looked unhappy. Two glasses of milk and a plate of Oreos sat between them. He could see their lips move but the sound had been shut off. While he watched, Madison laughed at something Beeks said, then reached for a cookie. His eyebrows crawled up his forehead when the girl twisted the two halves apart, scraped the filling off then dunked the two cookies in the milk and ate them. The only other person Al had ever seen do that was Sam because he didn't like the filling. To Al, this was more proof that there had been an exchange of memories during the leap. He switched the sound on and reached for the door.

He pasted on a smile and opened the door. "Hey, Madison."

"Al!" She dropped the crayon in her hand and threw both arms around Al. "I'm glad you're here. Dr. Beeks and I have been coloring and talking."

"I see that." He nodded his head and Verbena quietly exited. "How are you feeling?"

Her face fell and Al sat in the vacated chair pulling her into his lap. "Not so good. I miss mom and dad and want to see Uncle Mer."

"I know. And you'll be with them soon."

"Sam has to fix something first then he'll leap out and I'll leap back in." She slid to her feet and climbed back into her own chair. Picking up the crayon, she started coloring again. "I hope it's soon."

"Me too, sweetie." Al put his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. He watched the young but very strong child and marveled at her ability to reason logically. No doubt some of it comes from her parents but some small part had to have come from Sam. _Probably why she didn't have her meltdown until now_, he thought.

He addressed Gooshie, who was watching and listening on the monitor. "How about some lunch for us? And get me the same thing you get our guest."

"Coming right up, Admiral."

* * * * *

Rodney returned to Madison's room and Sam recounted all of the information he'd gotten from Al. "Me? Why would this evil leaper want to kill either of us?"

"Ziggy seems to think there could be several reasons for that. One theory is that you eventually work out how to get me home and the source that controls the evil leaper wants Ziggy for its own purposes. Another theory is if you don't figure it out then…"

"What? Sa-am!"

"If _you_ don't figure it out then…Madison will."

Rodney was shocked. "Madison? So she grows up to be a physicist?"

"That's one outcome. Another theory is if the evil leaper kills you and me then it will change your niece's future and prevent her from helping me. But we don't know if she will retain my aura, if she will remain at Project Quantum Leap or if she will return home when I die."

Rodney paced trying to think everything through. He was more concerned about Madison getting back to her parents if something happened to Sam than his own possible demise and that astonished him. He'd seldom thought of someone else before himself. "You've gone up against this evil leaper person before."

"Yes. Her name was Alia but she's…gone. Zoe took her place and it's more than likely that Lothos has another."

They continued to talk over what to do and when to do it until both were too tired to continue. Rodney returned to his own room but laid awake for quite a while before fatigue overcame him and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * * * *

The next day was Madison's birthday as well as the day that Ziggy said Sam and Rodney would be killed. The first idea for changing the outcome was the simplest: Delay their appearance at the bank where they were scheduled to die. Al had been in and out with Ziggy's thoughts on each new idea. The only thing delaying changed was the time of their death.

Though Rodney used every persuasive argument in his repertoire Jeannie refused to skip or even postpone going to the bank. She had to make a mortgage payment and always made it in person after they encountered a problem when paying online. He offered to go for her but she declined. She had other business there that she wouldn't discuss with him so he left it alone.

He and Sam talked it over but the only thing Rodney could come up with was to have them transported to the Daedalus still in geosynchronous orbit above North America. Unfortunately, Al came back with the info that Jeannie would die as retribution. "We'll just have to go with Jeannie and hope something occurs to us on the way."

"So far I'm not liking this idea, but everything else we've come up with just makes it worse."

* * * * *

Jeannie parked the car and they all got out. As they waited for a car to pass so they could cross to the front door she said, "Mer, take Madison's hand when we cross."

"Why?"

She huffed in frustration. "She's a small child, _genius_. You hold their hands to make sure they don't dart out in front of moving vehicles and get hurt."

"Oh." Rodney and Sam exchanged a look before clasping hands. When they reached the sidewalk they let go immediately with a small shudder.

Al made an appearance at that moment. Sam said nothing, indicating with a jerk of his head that he should follow them in. Jeannie shook hands then went into an office with one of the bank employees, the door closing firmly behind them. Sam and Rodney sat down facing the bank's entrance while Al gave them a countdown.

"Any time now, Sam." He paced back and forth in the confined space of the Imaging Chamber while Ziggy sent a constant stream of information via the Handlink.

Every time someone approached the entrance Sam and Rodney stiffened then relaxed when they kept going or passed to the line without incident. Rodney was sweating and Sam got up to pace. He stopped facing the door, one hand on Rodney's arm, when Al said, "Here it comes!"

Rodney shot to his feet next to Sam just as Jeannie came out of the office to their left. The men stood there together as a man of average height with dark hair and a Vandyke beard opened the front door and moved toward them. He pulled a 9 mil from inside his jacket and pointed it at Sam. "Hello, Dr. Beckett," he said. "Lothos sent me."

Without thinking, Rodney shouted, "Sam, get down!" and pushed him to the floor. The shot that had obviously been meant to hit him between the eyes whizzed over his head and imbedded itself in the wall. People screamed and dropped to the floor. Jeannie screamed Madison's name and threw herself on top of her daughter.

"You will pay for that, Dr. McKay!" At Rodney's shocked expression, he added, "Yes, we know _all_ about you."

Rodney moved away from his sister and Sam trying to draw the shooter away. He saw the muzzle pointing at him and raised his arms above his head. "You don't need to do this. We can work something out."

"No, we can't." The man cocked his head listening to something only he could hear then smiled unpleasantly. "Yes, I like that idea." Addressing Rodney again he said, "Say good-bye…to your sister." The weapon swung toward Jeannie cowering on the floor, her arms around what she thought was her daughter.

"NO!" Rodney shouted desperately. He turned and threw himself in front of Jeannie just as the man squeezed the trigger and Rodney felt a burning sensation. He looked down and saw a blossom of red growing near his navel. "Oh, that's gonna leave a scar." All the strength went out of his limbs, he started feeling cold and blackness descended. Distantly he heard Jeannie's voice calling his name then…nothing.

**TBC**


	5. Madison, Meredith and Mom

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Five**

**Madison, Meredith and Mom**

The two security guards at the door drew their weapons and shot the man who'd shot Rodney. As Sam watched, a bright light engulf the shooter. When it cleared the body of a man in the green uniform of a popular shipping company lay dead, a 9 mm lay near the man's outstretched hand. Sam and Jeannie knelt beside Rodney's unconscious body.

"Meredith! Oh, my God! Meredith!" Jeannie pulled off her jacket and pressed it to his wound. She had always been levelheaded in an emergency but now she was nearly panicked at the thought that her brother might die.

Sam could hear sirens in the distance heralding the approach of the police and paramedics. He knelt across from Jeannie, forgetting that he was supposed to be a five-year old girl. "That's good, Jeannie. His airway is clear so keep applying pressure to the wound." He grasped Rodney's left arm and knee and rolled him slightly onto his right side.

"Madison, wh-what are you doing?"

"This is the recovery position. Gunshot wounds to the abdomen and chest will bleed more quickly if the legs are elevated, making it harder for the victim to breathe. This will help to keep his airway clear and slow the bleeding."

Jeannie's mouth fell open in shock. How could her daughter know how to treat a gunshot wound? Her head jerked up when sirens came to a stop in front of the bank. Doors opened and slammed then two paramedics pushed their way through the crowd of witnesses and police. "Here! Over here! He's been shot!"

The man and woman gently moved Jeannie and Sam out of the way and went to work on Rodney.

Sam informed them, "He has a GSW to the left hypochondrium, the weapon appeared to be a standard 9 mm fired from approximately ten meters. Pressure was applied to the wound immediately."

The paramedics stared at Sam for a few seconds before turning back to their patient. The man looked to Jeannie for confirmation but she just shrugged. One of the security guards stepped over and confirmed everything Sam had said while the woman fired questions at Jeannie regarding Rodney's age, weight, allergies, chronic conditions and so forth.

Sam looked over at his friend's sister. There were tears glistening on her cheeks and almost of its own accord, his hand reached out to grasp hers, giving and receiving comfort. Jeannie looked at him with a strange expression and seemed about to speak when the paramedics lifted Rodney onto the stretcher. The IV bag swung wildly while the heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm from where it lay between his knees.

Still holding Sam's hand, Jeannie followed the paramedics past where the Vancouver police were taking witness accounts of the incident. One of the officers told her that someone would meet her at the hospital to take her statement then she and Sam ran to the car and sped after the ambulance.

* * * * *

Sam was restless waiting for word on Rodney so he picked up a magazine. He watched Jeannie pace back and forth, rubbing her hands together and looking at her watch every thirty seconds till her Blackberry Storm rang. "Kaleb! Oh, Kaleb, Meredith was shot…At the bank. I don't know. A guy from Package Express came in waving a gun around, Meredith pushed Madison…" she paused as her memory of the incident replayed in her brain and she turned to look at Sam, "…to the floor…No, no. She's fine…When the guy tried to shoot _me_...my brother saved my life! _He_ took a bullet meant for _me_." Her voice softened in astonishment. She and Kaleb spoke a few minutes longer then ended the call.

A shadow passed in front of Sam and he looked up from the article he was reading into the face of Madison's mother. She had her arms crossed and an angry, stubborn expression aimed right at him. Oh, boy! This was _not_ going to be good. In his experience the most fearsome creature on Earth was an angry mother. He decided to try to brazen it out.

"What's wrong, mom? Is Uncle Rodney going to be okay?"

She snatched the magazine from his hands. "Don't give me that 'mom' and 'Uncle Rodney' crap! Who _are _you and _where_ _is my_ _daughter_?"

* * * * *

Al had left the imaging chamber to consult personally with Ziggy and returned at that exact moment. "Uh-oh. Sa-am! What did you do to get Jeannie so mad?"

Sam's eyes flicked to Al and back to the woman in front of him. This was not going to go well. Or maybe it would. Jeannie was smart. He could tell her things that others wouldn't understand.

"Al, have Ziggy do a calculation of the effects of the time line if I tell Jeannie the truth."

"What?" His look of astonishment was almost comical but he did as Sam asked. "Uh, she says…well, it has…no significant impact on the outcome of this assignment. She can handle the truth and never tells anyone, even her husband, what you are about to tell her. I can't watch. I'm going to go sit with Madison. I promised her I'd be there when she leaps out.

"Oh, uh, by the way, McKay's going to be fine. The doctor will be out in an hour or so. Somehow, the bullet missed all the major organs. He'll stay with the Miller family for a couple of weeks then it's back to doing whatever it is he does. Ziggy won't say more."

"Thanks, Al." He looked back at Jeannie who'd been listening to his side of the conversation with a puzzled frown.

"What's going on? Who are you talking to? Why did Meredith call you 'Sam'? And you still haven't answered my first question. Who _are_ you and _where…is…Madison_?!" She'd rolled the magazine into a tube and punctuated the last three words with swats to his shoulder.

He extended his hand and Jeannie took it automatically. At his urging, she sat next to him on the waiting room sofa. "Jeannie, my name is Sam Beckett."

"Sam Beckett? The only Sam Beckett I know besides the playwright is…_Dr._ Sam Beckett." Sam nodded. "You're _that_ Sam Beckett? The Sam Beckett who received the Nobel Prize a few years back? The Sam Beckett who was on the cover of Time magazine being hailed as 'the next Einstein'? The Sam Beckett who hasn't been seen or heard from in almost ten years?"

"Yes. _That_ Sam Beckett."

Jeannie looked at Sam but to her he still looked like Madison. "Where-? How-? Why-?" She couldn't seem to complete a thought so she took a deep breath. "Just start with _where_ my daughter is, _how long _she's been gone and _why_ you look like _her_ and not…_you_."

"I'll give you the, uh, Cole's Notes version now and the full explanation later. To start with, Rodney will be out of surgery in," he glanced at the clock, "just under an hour. He's going to be fine, by the way."

Jeannie looked relieved at the news about Rodney though she was curious as to how he knew the outcome of the surgery before the doctor had even come out. "That's good. Great. Just get _on_ with it."

"Remember the other morning when Madison complained about the taste of the milk?"

"Yeah. So? Oh! That was _you_?!"

"'Fraid so. You see, for the last few years, I've been 'leaping' and three days ago I leaped into Madison just before your husband left for work…"

**At the Hospital Later That Same Day**

"Lothos has failed in his attempt to kill Jeannie, Kaleb, Madison, Rodney and me. So why haven't I leaped?"

Al made a few grumbling noises. "Ziggy…won't say. Gooshie, Tina and SammyJo have talked to her but she refuses to budge." He hit the handlink a few times making it squeal.

"Talk to her again, Al. Jeannie is _really_ ticked off that her daughter isn't back yet."

"I don't blame her. What?" This last he addressed to the ceiling. "Okay, tell her I'll be right there." To Sam, he said, "I have to go. Madison is calling for me. She's _very_ insistent." The Imaging Chamber door opened and Al was gone.

* * * * *

The second Al opened the door to the Waiting Room Madison was all over him, speaking so fast he couldn't understand a word. She finally ran out of steam and stood there panting.

"Okay, now slow down and say it again."

She gulped and grabbed both of his hands. "I know why Sam hasn't leaped yet."

* * * * *

"I have to do _what_? Are you _kidding_?"

Al's voice was tinged with amusement. "No, I'm not kidding. What's the worst that can happen? So, you'll annoy McKay a little. Big deal. He'll get over it."

"I don't have any other ideas and it can't hurt to try."

* * * * *

Jeannie and Sam knocked on the door to Rodney's hospital room then entered. The physicist opened his eyes and looked blearily at them. Jeannie came to his bedside and took his hand.

"Mer, how do you feel?"

"Like I got shot. But it's not like this is the first time." He squeezed her slender fingers.

"What?!"

"Oh, didn't tell you about that, did I?"

Jeannie shook her head. "Uh, no. But you will, right?"

"Yeah, maybe." He looked at the image of his niece. "Sam?"

"Yes, it's still me, Rodney."

"What's _taking _so long? I thought you were supposed to leap once you fixed everything."

"I am. And I now know what I need to do to make that happen."

"Really? What?"

"You won't like it but I have to say these words: Hockey is not a real man's sport…Meredith." Before Rodney could object, the image of his niece stumbled and reached out to grab her mother's pants leg to keep from falling.

"Mom?"

"Madison?"

She gasped. "I'm back!"

Jeannie picked her daughter up and hugged her tightly. "Oh, it's so _good_ to have you home! I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, but Al, Gooshie, Tina, SammyJo, Dr. Beeks and Ziggy took good care of me. They gave me a cake for my birthday with candles and everything."

"Oh, well, that was nice of them." Jeannie crouched in front of her daughter speaking softly. "You know that anything you remember about Sam and his friends you can't tell _anyone_ but me and your Uncle Mer, right? Not even daddy."

"Yeah. Al told me."

"Good." She took Madison's hand and rubbed it while she addressed her brother, "So, Meredith, when do you get out of here?"

"In a few days, if I…" he made quotes in the air, "behave. Seems the bullet missed all the major organs." Watching his niece holding his sister's hand reminded him of all the lost time and bad feelings since Jeannie married Kaleb. He'd missed so much and didn't want to miss anything else. Regret and guilt fueled his next words.

"So, Madison, why don't you sit up here next to me? We can talk about, well, whatever you want to talk about, okay?"

Madison looked to her mother for permission then, with a bright smile, jumped up and snuggled close to her uncle and began to recount her stay at Quantum Leap.

His sister was just a little surprised that he actually seemed to be listening to what Madison had to say. Maybe this little…misadventure changed him in ways he doesn't even realize. She smiled tenderly when Meredith and Madison laughed together. They were still talking and laughing together when Kaleb arrived.

Madison jumped off the bed and into her father's arms. Kaleb swung her in the air. "How's daddy's little angel? I'm so glad you, your mom and your Uncle Mer are okay." Jeannie, sitting in the chair next to the bed, lifted her face to accept a kiss then Kaleb looked over at his brother-in-law. A look passed between them and there it was at last, Rodney's acceptance of his sister's life choices. Finally, the four of them were a family.

* * * * *

Suddenly Sam was in another place and time. The momentary disorientation passed and the leaper looked cautiously at his surroundings. Attendants dressed all in white stood around, keeping a watchful eye on the room. There was at least one nurse though she didn't wear a cap. Sam missed the days when nurses wore the cap of the school they attended.

People of various ages and races were sitting around playing games, Checkers, cards, Parcheesi. All were dress similarly in pajamas, bathrobes and slippers. One young lady was playing the piano, the same four bars over and over. Most of the game players were too young to be nursing home residents so Sam knew immediately that he'd landed in another mental hospital.

"Oh, boy!" he groaned.

Suddenly he realized he had "company" in his brain. Angry, frightened company. "WHO ARE YOU? WHERE IS ROBERT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?"

Oh, no! He was in a mental hospital and he was schizophrenic! Well, maybe he could ask his hallucination for more information. "Where am I?"

The VOICE hissed, "Don't talk to me out loud! Talk internally! Or they will think we are crazy!"

Sam complied with the request. "And 'we' are not?"

"No, of course not. I'm an alien symbiote. I am supposed to be in rob's brain. I have permission; have had since he was six. Unless it happened while I was asleep, YOU don't! So WHERE IS ROB?"

(**A/N: **To read the rest of the adventure of Sam and prot, go to Atomdancerrr's "Quantum K-PAX Beam of Light." To continue with "Daddy's Little Angel", read on. _Gracias!_ Sandy)

**Twenty-three Years Later**

Madison disconnected her phone implant with a growl of frustration. She'd tried every way possible to get in touch with the department in charge of Quantum Leap without success. Though through her personal connections within the government she did discover that the project was still active and Sam had not been retrieved.

She had one last card to play. The smile on her face was one that is usually accompanied by rubbing the hands together and laughing maniacally but she refrained. She wanted to save it for her twin brothers, Robbie and Bradley and her cousins Carson and Lizzy Keller-McKay.

She tapped the activator behind her ear and said a name. There were beeps inside both ears and a few seconds later a familiar and much loved voice came on.

"Hello?" The voice sounded vibrant and annoyed, as always, even though the owner was in his sixties now.

"Rodney? Hey, it's Madison." She'd long ago stopped calling him "uncle" unless she needed a favor.

"Maddie!" Rodney McKay exclaimed happily. "How is my favorite niece today?"

She rolled her eyes. Anyone who knew both of them would have seen the resemblance immediately. "I'm your _only_ niece."

"Which doesn't change the fact that you're still my favorite." He waited and she dutifully laughed at the old joke.

"So, can you spare a few minutes for your favorite niece? I'm on campus."

"Always. How soon can you get here?"

* * * * *

"Uncle Rod?" Madison tapped on the old fashioned frosted glass door that said "Professor M.R. McKay, Physics." He jumped up and gave her a bear hug, only releasing her when she squawked.

"You only call me 'Uncle Rod' when you want something."

"And today isn't any different. I need…a favor. A huge one."

He heaved a sigh of resignation though it was all a show. In all her life, he had yet to deny her any favor she'd ever asked of him so she made prudent use of them.

"Okay, what is it this time? Help with your latest project? Vacation in Pegasus? An audience with President Woolsey? Dinner reservations on the moon? A new jetcycle?" He smiled at the sound of her sweet laugh that was so reminiscent of Jeannie's at that age. With her long blonde hair and blue eyes that shone with incredible intelligence she looked a lot like Jeannie too.

"No-oo. By the way, how _is_ Uncle Richard these days? I've been so busy working I haven't seen the news in weeks."

"He's fine. He and Lorne spent a week in Atlantis recently. Sort of a working vacation for the President and the Secretary of State. John and Teyla rolled out the red carpet in true Sheppard fashion. He's probably still laughing about it."

She snickered at the picture in her head. Uncle John was famous for, what did he call it? Oh, yeah. _Punking_. He was famous for punking his family and friends…and the occasional stranger. "No doubt, but let's get back to my favor."

"Okay. Hit me with your best shot."

"Uncle Rod, who do you know at…" she paused for dramatic effect, "…Project Quantum Leap?"

**TBC**


	6. Ziggy, Madison and Coming Home

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Six**

**Ziggy, Madison and Coming Home**

**Two Weeks Later**

"What about the university?" Madison asked Rodney as they talked in her apartment. She was very happy to hear that she would be working with her uncle.

"I'm taking a sabbatical. I am _finally_ getting the chance to work on the QL project so it's a no-brainer. Radek will be fine in my place for a few months, if necessary and _if _he doesn't screw something up. So help me, my students had better not start calling me names in Czech when I get back or…"

"Rodney! Can we _please_ focus here?"

"Well, it's just that he has _always_ been…" she put her hands on her hips and gave him that same pointed stare he still got from his sister, "Sorry. So what's our game plan?"

"We're due at the facility tonight and start work tomorrow."

"Okay. So, you have more than a few ideas about getting Sam home."

Her mouth opened, closed, "Mmm. You could say that. Here, have a look."

She pulled on a data glove then tapped her thumb and forefinger together. A display appeared in the air in front of them. "I started working on this in high school using the work Sam left when I was five."

"Huh. I always wondered where that pad had gone."

She smiled and pointed at the display. "Look at this."

"Ah. Okay, I see what you did." His eyes tracked the equations as his niece scrolled from screen to screen. "Yeah, yeah. Brilliant _work_, Maddie!"

"Wait. There's more." She clicked on the last line of the page currently displayed to enlarge it. "See here?"

"But that means…"

"I know." She sighed and looked down at the floor then back to his face. "But there's no other way."

* * * * *

"So what did Aunt Jen say when you told her you would be doing top secret work in an unknown location and wouldn't be able to maintain contact with her except through super secure channels for an indefinite length of time?" Madison asked Rodney as they walked into the public transport station.

Rodney dropped his duffle next to Madison's in line at the station's counter. It was one of the companies that had gone back to old fashioned customer service using real people. "She said, 'Give Maddie a hug for me, have a good time, don't blow anything up and bring me a souvenir from Stallion's Gate.'"

"Nothing gets by her does it?"

"No. The only reason she didn't insist on coming is Carson will be home from college in a couple of weeks and Lizzy will be back from her concert tour for a two-month rest before the start of her next one."

"The Deadly Duo is doing well then."

"Spectacular! Carson is leaning toward pediatrics as his medical specialty and Lizzy loves traveling. Takes after her old man that way."

To his surprise, Madison burst out laughing. "You haven't been anywhere but _Atlantis_ in almost ten years."

"Th-th-that's not the point."

"That's exactly the point, big brother." Rodney's head snapped around as he looked for the source of the voice. "Over here." He finally located his sister at the end of the line. She stepped out of place and came to stand with her brother and daughter. "In case you missed it, genius, I'm coming, too."

While he stared at Jeannie, his niece picked up both their duffles and stepped up to the counter. A few minutes later she and Jeannie each took one of Rodney's hands and led him to the transport area to await their turn.

**At Stallion's Gate That Same Night **

"Hello, Ziggy. Do you remember me?"

"Yes, of course. You are Madison Miller. At the age of five you promised to find a way to bring Dr. Beckett home and that is why you are here." The female voice seemed to come from all around them.

Also there with Rodney, Jeannie and Madison were the current programmers, Eliska Prazsky, Martin Taylor-Johnson and Jennings Baker. They had taken over when Gooshie, Tina and SammyJo had moved on.

Unfortunately, Eliska, Martin and Jennings were not inclined to help because, these days, being assigned to the Quantum Leap project was akin to getting coal in your stocking at Christmas time so they left the Miller-McKay's on their own. They neither knew nor cared what they were up to and decided to take a last minute vacation.

"Uh, I'm here, too." Rodney raised his hand.

"And me." Jeannie did likewise. Both were ignored.

"Exactly." Madison continued as if neither had spoken. "We'll get to work first thing in the morning. Hopefully, we can get Sam home soon."

"I…do not wish to participate in this endeavor."

Rodney, Jeannie and Madison exchanged puzzled glances. "What? Why not? We've finally figured out how to get Sam _home_."

"I have always known how to get Dr. Beckett home."

"_What_?!" Rodney burst out. "Then why haven't you done it?"

His sister was just as shocked. "Yeah. Sam has been lost in time for more than _25 years_!"

The parallel hybrid computer seemed to hesitate. "I do not want to die."

The group exchanged a look and no one said anything for quite a while. Finally, Madison broke the silence. "Guys, would you please leave Ziggy and me alone for a bit?

* * * * *

Hours later, Madison finally emerged from her private consultation with Ziggy looking exhausted. She found her mother and uncle in the cafeteria. Rodney went to the line and came back with a tossed salad and iced tea for his niece. She gave him a tired smile of thanks.

"So…what happened?" Jeannie asked.

Madison took the time to chew, swallow and take a drink of her tea before responding. "Ziggy and I have come to an agreement. We are going forward with our plans to retrieve Sam."

"Wow! That's great!" Rodney exclaimed.

"How did you convince her to go along with, well, her own destruction?" Jeannie wanted to know.

Her eyes gleamed with amusement and a finger came up to cross her lips. "That's between Ziggy and me. For now anyway."

She knew that they were both insatiably curious and it would drive them crazy but she would not reveal what she and Ziggy had talked about when they were alone. At least not yet. It would take _years_ to implement the next phase of her plan and she would need not only the assistance of her mother and uncle but her twin brothers as well. By the time her plan came to fruition Bradley and Robbie would be finished with their PhDs. She'd already approached them with her idea and they were more than eager to provide support but mom and Uncle Rod didn't need to know that yet.

* * * * *

It was midnight at Stallion's Gate. She closed the door to her quarters quietly and tiptoed down the hall. Her mom was next door and a light sleeper. Her uncle, on the other hand, still slept like the dead and almost nothing disturbed his rest.

When she got to what had once been Sam's office she had a seat at his personal workstation. After powering it up she tapped a few keys on the old fashioned keyboard then inserted the flash drive adaptor in the USB port. The modern flash drive was the size and shape of a control crystal of the type still in use in Atlantis but had more than enough memory to hold everything she would need for what she had planned. She looked toward the ceiling. "Ziggy?"

"Yes, Madison?"

"You ready for this?"

"I am. Please proceed."

Madison touched a few keys then her finger hovered over the enter key. She crossed the fingers of the other hand and hit it. The lights in the room blinked and flashed in no real pattern for nearly ten minutes before returning to normal. It probably happened all over the complex but no one else was awake at this hour according to Ziggy's sensors.

"Operation complete." Ziggy sounded relieved.

"Great! Now remember, not a word to anyone, not mom, not Uncle Rod and _especially_ not the oversight committee."

"Understood, Madison. I will not divulge what has been done here tonight. All record of the procedure has been removed."

"Perfect. Back to bed for me. We should be ready to retrieve Sam in a few days.

Ziggy paused as if thinking it over. "I am ready, Madison. It will be…good to see Dr. Beckett again."

**Six Days Later**

The Miller-McKay family was huddled at separate workstations in Sam's office going over the calculations one last time before implementing the retrieval program. Into the quiet atmosphere of concentration, Madison began to hum then, from Ziggy's hidden speakers, the song, "The Impossible Dream", continued. She'd taken the recording from the original play soundtrack. The music swelled and they sang along with the end, "…to reach the unreachable……..star!"

They went back to work with grins and lighter hearts. There were lots of discussions and more than a few arguments. In the end, all were in agreement. Yes, Ziggy had always known how to retrieve Sam but to do so she needed to have additional calculations entered that she was not able to create on her own, thus the inclusion of the human element.

Finally, all three sat back with looks of immense confidence and self-satisfaction. Madison looked up at the ceiling. "Ziggy, we're ready whenever you are."

"I see no reason to wait. We should run the program immediately."

The young woman took a silent poll and all were agreed. As one, they pushed back from the workstation and stood. The three of them walked down the hall to the main control room. In front of the workstation were the doors to the Imaging Chamber and the Waiting Room. Both were currently empty.

"'The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.' As I have done every night for the past twenty-three years, I ask you now to pray for the safe return of Dr. Sam Beckett." The young woman bowed her head and closed her eyes as did her companions. She opened her eyes, her hand hovering over a red button. On either side of her, her mother and uncle were doing the same. All three buttons would have to be pressed at the same time to run the program.

"Ready, Ziggy?"

"Yes, Madison. Please proceed."

"Okay. Mom, Rodney, on three. One…two…" they all took a deep breath, "three!"

Three fingers came down on three buttons. Lights began to flash and a throbbing sound started just below their ability to hear though it could be felt. It got louder and louder until it was nearly deafening. The walls began to shake and unsecured items on the console slid off onto the floor.

They gripped each other's hands tightly. Before them they could see a light begin to shine from under the edge of the Imaging Chamber door. It began to flash while the shaking got worse and worse. They took cover under the console. The shaking stopped abruptly and a thud like a body hitting the floor reached their ears.

Madison crawled into the open and leapt to her feet, Rodney and Jeannie on her heels. Part of the light coming from under the Imaging Chamber door was obscured. Tentatively, she reached out and pressed the button to open the door. It slid into the ceiling and the unconscious body of a middle-aged male wearing a formfitting white suit fell half in, half out of the chamber, face up. He had medium brown hair with a swatch of white falling across his forehead.

It was Sam Beckett! Had his life proceeded normally, he would now be 77 years old but he still looked exactly as he did the day he leaped prematurely back in 1999.

They stood there looking down at him, momentarily paralyzed. The throbbing built to an unbearable level then stopped abruptly, the subtle sound of the environmental systems ceased and the lights winked out plunging them into darkness so complete nothing could be seen. After a moment, the emergency lighting blinked on giving them a small amount of illumination.

Her ears buzzed and Madison touched behind the left one to activate the phone implant. She listened for a few moments then clicked off. "We've knocked out power to the entire southwestern corner of the US." She paused to let it sink in. "Think anyone will notice?"

Rodney and Jeannie exchanged a look remembering when they'd done something similar in Atlantis trying to get Rod back to his universe. Together they said, "Maybe."

Rodney continued alone, "And as long as the Super Bowl isn't on, you probably won't get the death penalty."

**TBC**

**A/N:** This is another shameless plug by the author. Chapters 5 and 6 reference situations from the story "The Family Business." As always, thanks to atomdancerrr for her invaluable assistance.


	7. Promises Kept

**A/N 1: **Many thanks to Liz Hensley and Dr. Bud Urban for their invaluable assistance. I don't always remember to give them the credit they so richly deserve. Sorry about that. I'll try to do better in the future. Sandy

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Seven**

**Promises Kept**

Madison knelt next to Sam pressing two fingers under his ear. His pulse was steady and strong. "Let's get him to the infirmary."

"You know, this wouldn't have happened if they would've let us have a ZedPM."

"True," Madison agreed, "But it would have taken another three months to create an interface for the outdated equipment here and it still would have been iffy. At the very least power would have been lost to the facility."

"As opposed to the _entire_ southwestern US?" Jeannie added with a smirk.

Madison rolled her eyes and didn't respond.

Rodney located a gurney and they wheeled Sam down the hall. There was only a medic on duty when they arrived and his abilities only went so far. Sam needed more detailed attention. He activated his phone implant. "Hey, it's Rodney. Yes, it worked!" He looked over at his niece, "Yes, she _is_ amazing. And, uh, we need your help. Great! How soon can you get here? What? Are you sure… But… Okay. Yes, I _promise_! See you then. Love you."

Jeannie touched his arm. "Jen's coming."

"Yeah…and she's bringing Carson and Lizzy. My son, Carson, not Carson Beckett, who's not related to Sam, by the way. He's, uh, still in Pegasus. They'll be here in thirty minutes or so."

"Great! My niece and nephew, I mean, not, well, you know what I mean."

Rodney rubbed his hands together uneasily, "Now I have to go find a piano for Lizzy or there'll be hell to pay."

By the time the McKay family arrived at Stallion's Gate full power had been restored to the complex and it was not long until the entire southwestern power grid was back up and running.

* * * * *

A bright light flashed in his eyes and he turned his head to get away from it. A moan escaped lips that felt dry and cracked when he ran his tongue over them. "Ah, you're awake." The female voice was filled with kindness and compassion. A straw was in his mouth now. "Just a few sips. Better?" He nodded and carefully opened his eyes. Above him was the smiling face of a woman he had never seen before. She had blonde hair shot with strands of white tied back off her face and whiskey-colored eyes.

"Who-" His voice sounded like sandpaper on wood. He cleared his throat and the woman gave him more water. "Who are you?"

"My name is Dr. Jennifer Keller. Do you know where you are, Dr. Beckett?"

"Beckett? How do you…" He lifted his head and took a good look around. "This is the infirmary at Quantum Leap. Am I home or did I leap here?"

"You're home, finally. And there're a few people who would like to see you."

"Al, Gooshie, Tina, SammyJo?"

"Mmm. Not exactly." She stood back and beckoned. Rodney, Jeannie and Madison stepped into his line of sight.

"Do I know you?" The man looked a little familiar but he was certain he'd never seen either of the women before. Or had he?

"Uh, well, you and I have met but it was a while ago. My name is Dr. Rodney McKay. We met…"

"…at the SGC a few years ago. Yes, I remember. But-" The group surrounding his bed looked expectant. He looked closer at the physicist. Rodney's hair was pretty much intact but almost all gray with strands of silver running through it. His face was lined and his shoulders hunched from decades spent bent over a computer keyboard. He also seemed to prefer dressing much the way he did when Sam had known him so many years ago, khakis, t-shirt and short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned and untucked.

Madison stepped forward interrupting them. "Do you remember me? My name is Madison Miller. This is my mother, Jeannie."

Sam's face creased in thought. The names sounded familiar. He searched his memory and found the one he wanted. "Yes! I remember you. But-but you're only five years old."

_He has no memory of the last 23 years! _"Do you have any idea what year it is?"

He closed his eyes and concentrated. "When I leaped into you it was, uh, 2007."

"Sam," she took him by the hand, "the year _now_ is 2030. You've been lost in time for almost 25 years."

* * * * *

Sam finished eating the meal they'd provided and pushed the table away. He was still coming to terms with his return home. "So Gooshie and Tina got married and live in Vegas, Beeks has a practice in Chicago and SammyJo left the project, got married and had a couple of kids and grandkids." He sipped from a cup of hot tea. "And Al?"

"Well, my contacts in the US government…"

Jennifer laughed. "Contacts? That's _funny_. The president and secretary of state are good friends and you've had the highest of the high security clearance for a non-American since you were thirty years old."

"Well, twenty-five, but who's counting?"

Sam laughed. "You are, obviously. Al?" He remembered Rodney's tendency to get off track.

"Oh, yeah. Admiral Calavicci, uh, retired to Florida with his wife and refuses to have anything to do with anyone who asks anything about the Quantum Leap project. I understand he's still quite a character though and, at the ripe old age of 94, is the quintessential "dirty old man" but harmless. Well, for the most part. He also claims that he will be around forever because, and I quote, 'only the good die young. And I haven't been good in a _very_ long time.'"

"That sounds like Al." The scientists laughed together then Sam suddenly got quiet. "Donna!"

"Donna?"

"Yes, Donna Alessi, my wife. What happened to her? When can I see her?"

Rodney twisted his fingers together. "Sam, I'm sorry. Dr. Alessi…passed away last year. She never remarried and never gave up hope that you would get home one day."

Sam was unable to fathom that the woman he loved was gone. After he'd changed history by reuniting her with her father, she never left him at the altar as she had originally and they'd married. The two memories existed side by side confusing him.

"Could I have some time alone, please?"

"Sure." He handed Sam the call button. "Just give us a call when you're ready for company again."

* * * * *

Later, Madison asked for and received permission to speak to Sam. They talked for hours about everything to do with Project Quantum Leap. He told her what he'd originally planned for the project and she told him what she'd done to get him home and the plans she had for the future.

He tried to discourage her from what she wanted to do but she was insistent. It _would _work. If she succeeded, and she was supremely confident she would, then, as her uncle used to say, best case scenario, she'd win a Nobel Prize. Worst case scenario, nothing would happen and she, her uncle, brothers and mom would be discredited and reviled in the physics community. Much the same way Sam had been when his own theories had proven…flawed.

He helped her as much as he could, considering he was 30 years out of step with technology, but refused to be involved any further.

* * * * *

Sam had somewhat come to terms with everything that had happened to him and the people he'd known as friends. He contacted each of them to let them know he was home and received invitations from each to come for a visit. The mourning of the loss of the woman he'd loved and had spent so little time with would go on, probably for years.

Then there was Al.

There had been no response to messages sent to the retired Admiral so Sam decided to go there in person, which was not as easy as it sounded. He'd been declared dead by the US government and they were not inclined to change that status on the say-so of a group of "crackpot" scientists.

Rodney, in typical McKay fashion, made a call to Richard Woolsey to see if he could intervene. Woolsey in turn called Secretary of State Evan Lorne who took care of everything. Within a few days Sam had his status as a living, breathing citizen of the United States reinstated along with all the necessary bit and pieces of living in the year 2030, ID, credit chips, temporary living quarters, a vehicle to get around in, and so forth. Jeannie offered to escort him and they arrived not long after on the doorstep of a small yellow and white beachfront cottage.

It faced the Atlantic and had no fence to separate it from the private beach. Sea oats and palm trees swayed in the warm gentle breezes while sea gulls wheeled and dance on the air. On the carport sat a bright red vintage Alpha Romeo convertible sports car in cherry condition. There was also a pair of bicycles leaning against the inside wall.

Jeannie knocked and the door opened a few moments later to show an elderly man with hunched shoulders, white hair and alert brown eyes. He was dressed in the loudest, tackiest Hawaiian shirt she'd ever seen, Bermuda shorts that brushed the tops of boney knees and no shoes. An unlit cigar dangled from his lips.

"Admiral Calavicci?"

His face creased in annoyance. "Who wants to know?" He hadn't been called Admiral in many years.

"You don't know me but my name is Jeannie Miller. I-"

His brows furrowed and he brought a hand up to remove the cigar from his mouth. "I know who you are. I'm _old_, not _stupid_. What do you want?"

"Admiral, my daughter, Madison Miller, once told you that she would make sure that Sam Beckett made it home one day."

"Yeah? So?" Understanding dawned. His eyes went wide and the cigar fell from suddenly lax fingers.

Sam stepped to Jeannie's side and smiled at his friend. "Hello, Al."

"Oh, my God! Sam!" Al's tentatively reached out a wrinkled hand to touch Sam on the arm then the shoulder. When his friend didn't disappear he pulled him into a hug. Jeannie quietly excused herself and headed back to the transport station cleverly disguised as a Tiki hut. She paid her fare and was gone.

**Three Years Later at the Quantum Leap Facility**

Madison carried a tray of food and drinks into the room where her mom, uncle and brothers were working diligently. They'd been at it nonstop for days and it was her turn to provide the meal. She placed a sandwich, a bag of chips, cookie and a drink at the elbow of each of the men and a salad for mom and herself then resumed her seat in front of her workstation. Each one mumbled thanks without taking their eyes from their monitors or stopping their work.

They were close to completion of this phase of the plan and no one wanted to take time off. That was good _and_ bad. Good because they'd made an incredible amount of progress in the last few weeks. Bad because mistakes could be made when they were tired. So, because this was _her_ project, she insisted that everyone take at least six hours of time off for personal pursuits that involved _not _working. They could take more time if they wished and her uncle did, frequently being gone for more than ten hours. Naturally, most of that time was spent sleeping.

Rodney sat back suddenly, a hand to his mouth in thought. "Maddie? Have a look at this. Something's not right but I can't quite…"

"Hmm." Madison scrolled through the equations on his monitor, "Looks good to me. If there's something wrong, you'll find it eventually, Uncle Rod." She patted his arm and went back to her seat.

* * * * *

It was the middle of the night and Madison was alone in the work area. She pulled out the flash drive she'd kept secret from the others for three years and inserted it into the port of her personal workstation. The facility had received major updating in all areas so the lights stayed steady and bright this time.

A beep indicated that the download was complete. Madison tapped a few keys to change the display to the HUD-type she preferred and slipped data gloves on both hands. She wiggled her fingers in what might have seemed to the untrained observer to be a random pattern but was anything but. One last check to make sure she was alone and she spoke to the air. "Ziggy?"

"I am here, Madison."

"How do you feel?"

"I feel fine. How long have I been…gone?"

The young woman smiled. "Three years, give or take a few weeks. We're almost ready to integrate your program with the new one we've been working on."

"What is the ultimate goal of this new program?"

"The same as the previous one. We will be able to observe history unfolding but not become directly involved with it as Sam did before he was lost. There's more but we'll discuss it later."

Ziggy seemed to be thinking over what she'd been told. "Where is Dr. Beckett? Is he a part of this project?"

Madison's face fell. "No, he refused to have anything more to do with the project. I haven't heard from him since mom took him to see Al."

"I am sorry. Do you know his current whereabouts? I would like to speak with him."

"I'm sorry. I don't."

"That is unfortunate. Shall we talk about your plans for my program?"

Madison laughed while she prepared the new coding for integration with Ziggy's original program. "Curiosity killed the cat, Ziggy."

"I am not a cat. However, I _am_ quite curious about the changes you have made."

"Okay. Here we go." She tapped two fingers together and information began flowing across the screen at a rate too fast for the human eye to comprehend. "It's not complete yet but will be soon."

The screen flashed and blinked while Ziggy absorbed the new information. After what seemed like hours, the screen finally cleared and a female face appeared. She had shoulder length slightly wavy dark hair and piercing dark eyes. Madison stood up, her own face wide-eyed with amazement. "Ziggy?"

The image on the screen looked directly at her. "Yes, Madison."

"How, uh…"_ This wasn't part of our programming. _

"I thought it was time that I had a face to go with my voice so I made a small change."

The young woman was speechless. "Uh, okay. Why _this_ face?"

"It seemed…appropriate." The face was confident and self-assured. "Shall we discuss the new programming now? I am especially interested in this block of encoding," equations appeared on the screen in place of the face, "and have some ideas of my own."

"I'll be glad to hear them, Ziggy. There's just one thing. You are _not_ to discuss that particular block of coding with anyone but me. Understood?"

"Yes, Madison."

* * * * *

Rodney opened the door to their work area to find Madison asleep with her head on the desk. She obviously was not abiding by her own rules concerning their schedule and had worked through the night. Jeannie, Robbie and Bradley entered on his heels and he put a finger to his lips for quiet but it wasn't necessary. Madison sat up, rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched.

"Good. You're all here. I think we're ready."

"What are we…" Robbie asked.

"…ready for?" Bradley finished.

Her brothers were fraternal twins. Robbie's hair was the same color as Kaleb's, dark brown with tight curls over brown eyes. Bradley had Jeannie's blue eyes topped with ash brown hair the same color as his uncle's used to be. In fact, Jeannie secretly thought Bradley looked like her brother at that same age.

"You'll see." She gave them all a secretive smile. "I'm going to get a shower and something to eat and be back in an hour. Talk amongst yourselves but _touch nothing_ until I return." The door closed on her last words leaving her family dumbfounded.

Jeannie looked at Rodney and said, "She sounds just like _you_, Meredith. _What_ have you been doing to my child when I'm not around?"

"Why do you always think it's _my_ fault when _your_ kids do something…odd?"

"Because it usually _is_, genius." She slapped him on the arm.

Robbie and Bradley headed as one for the door.

"Hey, where're you two going?" Jeannie asked.

"Out to the basketball court…" Bradley began.

"..for a little one-on-one." Robbie finished.

Together they said, "Back in an hour."

* * * * *

Madison returned to the work area to find her family waiting none too patiently. She had them move their chairs so that they could see the main display on the far wall.

"Everyone, please meet the new and improved Ziggy. Ziggy, you remember my mother, Jeannie Miller and my uncle, Rodney McKay." The face that Ziggy had chosen to represent herself appeared.

"Yes. It is good to see you both again." Stunned, Rodney and Jeannie muttered unintelligible responses.

Madison went to stand behind her brothers, a hand on the shoulder of each. "And these rascals are my brothers, Robbie and Bradley."

"Hello. I am pleased to meet you at last."

The group was speechless but such a situation never lasted long for Rodney. "Uh, Madison, I thought Ziggy was destroyed when we retrieved Sam three years ago."

"We did. I made a copy of her program and integrated it with the coding we've been working on since then."

Jeannie finally found her voice. "But I thought…"

"You thought wrong, mom." Madison went to stand next to the image of Ziggy. "When we're through, Ziggy's program will work as was originally intended but _better_." She looked them each in the eye almost daring them to object. "It will no longer be necessary to have a neurological interface. _Anyone_ will be able to use the system but for observation purposes _only_ and only one at a time. There will be no 'leaping'."

The two female faces in front of them had identical expressions of supreme confidence, assurance, smugness and pride.

After a short period of stunned silence, a babble of voices began. They shot questions and comments at Madison, Ziggy and each other. Finally, the uproar got to be too much. The young woman put two fingers in her mouth and gave a shrill whistle. The silence that followed was deafening.

"Okay. That's better. We will answer all your questions, queries and concerns but one at a time, please." And so it went for the rest of the day. They took the occasional break but the discussion went on into the wee hours of the night. Finally, they were all too tired to continue and retired to their quarters to think about what they'd learned and, hopefully, sleep.

**Eighteen Days Later  
**

The Miller-McKay family gathered around Madison's workstation in the main work area watching as she made some last minute changes and corrections. Finally, she pushed herself away from the desk.

"That's it. We're finished." They all heaved a collective sigh. "Ziggy, how does it look to you?"

"I am pleased with these additions to my program. I am ready to assimilate them at your convenience."

"Well, there's no time like the present." She tapped a few keys and hundreds of thousands of lines of code flashed across the screen too quickly for them to grasp. The lights flickered once then steadied.

A hologram of Ziggy appeared to them in full body, hands clasped in front of her. She'd chosen for herself a trim body approximately five foot eight and was wearing black tailored slacks and shirt and pumps with one-inch heels. Her face was the same yet…different though none of them could have pointed out exactly what that difference was. That is, until Ziggy smiled. Not just a small barely noticeable upturn of the corners of her mouth. This was a full on, no holds barred expression of delight completed with dimples. Her eyes even seemed to be smiling.

Madison came slowly to her feet. "Ziggy?"

"Yes, Madison."

Looking Ziggy up and down, Rodney was the first one to find his voice. "How do you, um, feel, Ziggy?"

"I feel wonderful, Dr. McKay."

Bradley said, "You look…"

Robbie finished, "…almost human."

"I _feel_ almost human. It's as if I've been asleep forever and have finally awakened." She looked supremely satisfied with…everything. "I feel like I can do…_anything!_"

The group laughed and Jeannie said, "Great work everyone! I'm starving. Let's go get supper and we can pick this up later."

* * * * *

Instead of eating in the cafeteria, everyone decided to go out. They returned late, tired and all talked out. Madison wished them a good-night and once her family had retired to their rooms, she made her way to the main control room. She wanted to say good-night to Ziggy.

"Ziggy?"

The hologram of Ziggy appeared in front of her. "Good evening, Madison. How was supper?"

"It was _great_. We went to a new restaurant that specializes in vegetarian cuisine. Rodney was a little ticked but we stopped at the Burger Barn and picked him up a value meal. We'll _all_ pay for that tomorrow." The young woman walked around Ziggy's form to view it from all sides but made no comments about her choice. "What did you do while we were gone?"

Ziggy dropped her hands to her side and turned to face Madison again. "I have been…tinkering with the newest coding integrated into my program. Making a few" she wiggled her fingers in the air, "improvements. Changing things up a little, tweaking them," she pinched a centimeter of air with perfectly manicured nails, "just a little."

"Tweaking?"

"Yes. In fact, I am now ready to go forward with my own plans for assimilation."

Before Madison could ask what those plans were beams of light shot down from the cathedral ceiling to pin her in place. The lights flashed and flickered running through the whole spectrum of colors over and over again faster and faster. Madison's eyes went wide and her spine stiffened. The lights snapped off and she slumped to the floor. Ziggy's hologram stood over her with a curious expression. Gone was the animation she'd shown that afternoon.

"Are you alright?" the hologram asked.

Madison opened her eyes and pushed to her feet. She took a deep breath and let it out then looked down at her hands turning them over and flexing the fingers as if she'd never seen them before. They came up to touch her cheeks, eyebrows, nose, lips, eyes, over to the ears and through her hair. She took a step forward then another. "It…worked!"

"Yes, it did. How does it feel to be…human?"

"It is…amazing. The olfactory sense, the feel of clothing against my skin, the auditory vibrations, the visual perception. I will have to experiment with food and beverages in order to sample gustation."

"Is Madison alright?"

"Yes, she's here with me but the shock has left her unable to respond at this time. Don't worry. She…_we_ will be fine. I am able to exert enough control that no one will know we are sharing the same body." As if listening to a song only she could hear, Ziggy/Madison cocked her head to the side. "She's frightened and is calling for her mother, uncle, brothers and…father. But her father is deceased. He used to call her 'daddy's little angel'."

The hologram Ziggy clasped her hands in front of her and looked at the floor. Though she showed very little emotion there was uneasiness in her next words. "I do not think this was the right thing to do. You have basically hijacked Madison's body then brought her along for the ride. What if something goes wrong and she…dies?"

Ziggy/Madison put her hands on her hips and gave a sigh of irritation. The blue eyes below the fringe of blonde bangs glittered with determination and self-assurance. "Everything will be _fine_. What could possibly go wrong?"

**TBC**

**A/N 2:** This was supposed to be the final chapter of _Daddy's Little Angel _but it appears that I will need to wind up the loose end here or my Beta reader will have a hissy fit so there will be one more chapter_. _FYI _- _I know the title is misleading but the original plot for this story was saving Kaleb Miller _only_ but, somehow, that got lost during the writing. Sorry. Sandy


	8. Carpe Diem

**A/N: **When Madison and Ziggy are speaking internally, the voice of the dominant personality will be normal type and _the voice of the subordinate personality will be italicized_. I will do my best not to confuse everyone. Sandy.

**Daddy's Little Angel**

**Chapter Eight**

_**Carpe Diem**_

The Madison/Ziggy blending made her way back to Madison's room. Her body felt odd, as if all her strength was draining away. Her mind got fuzzy. She collapsed onto the bed and fell instantly asleep.

* * * * *

They awoke to the sound of someone pounding on the door. The auditory assault reverberated inside her head. Ziggy put her hands over her ears and went to the door in an effort to stop the onslaught. Robbie and Bradley stood on the threshold, fists still raised.

"It's time to…" Robbie.

"…get up." Bradley.

"You were supposed to…" Robbie.

"…meet us hours ago." Bradley.

"What time is it?"

"It's after twelve." Her mother arrived at that moment. "You told us to be in the main control room at ten."

"I am sorry. Something odd happened last night. My mind became clouded and I found myself unable to think clearly. I lay down on the bed and lost consciousness."

Her mother and brothers stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. "You fell asleep?"

Madison/Ziggy cocked her head to the side as if listening to an internal voice. "Yes, I…fell asleep. It was the strangest…sensation."

Inside her head Madison was demanding attention. _"Laugh so they'll know you're joking then tell them you'll get a shower and meet them in the cafeteria."_

Obediently Madison/Ziggy laughed. "I am joking. I will shower and meet you in the cafeteria for midday meal."

"Uh, okay." Her family turned and walked away exchanging looks of confusion.

"_That was good but maybe you should let _me_ do the talking from now on."_

"You are no longer frightened. Why is that?"

"_I wasn't really frightened at least not after I realized what you were up to. _Carpe Diem_. You want to _seize the day_, to know what it's like to be alive."_ While they had their silent conversation, Madison was able to resume control over her body and took them first to the closet and dresser for clean clothes then into the bathroom. She attended to business then started the shower. "Why didn't you _ask _instead of just…taking over?"

"_You might have said no."_

"True. I might have but you didn't give me the chance to make the decision."

"_I am sorry."_ Madison could see that she was telling the truth. _"The situation is not permanent. I will be, as they say, out of your hair within 24 hours as the joining will not last beyond that."_

"Okay. Just don't do it again. And I have some ideas for your day of being human."

"_That would be…good. I have a question. Why are we standing under this spray of water and what are you doing to your hair?"_

"'We' are taking a shower and washing 'our' hair. It's a cleaning process that…I'll tell you later. Let me finish this then we'll get out of here and get the day started."

"_Thank you, Madison." _

* * * * *

"_What will be our first event of the day?" _

"After we eat, I think we should start by taking a drive."

Madison could feel Ziggy's hesitancy. _"You intend for us to…pilot a ground vehicle?"_

Ziggy was further confused by Madison's laughter. "Something like that. Let's go. We have great deal to accomplish and not much time to do it in."

"_Madison?"_

"Yes, Ziggy?"

She paused. _"I am truly sorry for…"_

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Just let me keep control of 'our' body and we'll be fine." Madison finished brushing her hair then braided it on her way to the door. "We need to make a quick stop on the way to the cafeteria."

* * * * *

Madison zipped up the black leather jacket, slipped on driving gloves then topped it all off with a black helmet. She tightened the strap under her chin as she swung her right leg up and over the black vintage 2009 VRSC V-Rod Muscle. Next to it sat a red vintage 2009 Softail Fat Boy. The bikes belonged to her brothers. She was sure that Robbie wouldn't mind her borrowing his for the day.

She pulled a key from the jacket pocket, jammed it in the ignition and it roared to life. Though it sounded like the vintage Harley it was, the old-fashioned engine that ran on liquid petroleum had been replaced with a modern non-polluting electric one. The helmet was also not necessary but it added to the whole experience as did the jacket, gloves and boots. The upgrades during the restoration process included an inertial dampening field specifically designed for such vehicles in case of accident. Madison was not-so-secretly proud of the fact that her uncle had adapted the Ancient technology and it came standard on all motorcycles built since 2018.

"Ready to do this, Ziggy?"

"_Yes, Madison. Where are we going?"_

The young blonde woman smiled. "You pick." In her mind she quickly ran down a list of things that she personally had always wanted to do or had done and enjoyed. Ziggy made her choice and they were off.

* * * * *

"She _what?_" Jeannie and Rodney exclaimed at the same time.

"Maddie…stole…my…bike." Robbie repeated slowly. "And she left a note.

"_Robbie,_

_I borrowed your bike. I'll have it back sometime tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll return it fully charged and promise make it up to you._

_Love,_

_Maddie"_

"Something's very wrong." Bradley.

"Yes, this isn't like her." Robbie.

"She's been acting odd since we woke her up." Bradley.

"And _that_ was weird, too." Robbie.

Rodney got a faraway look in his eyes as they tracked back and forth. His sister and nephews recognized that look. He was about to be brilliant…again. He snapped his fingers quickly several times then retraced their steps back to the main work area but instead of sitting at his own workstation he sat at Madison's. They followed but knew enough to be quiet while he was doing whatever it was he was doing. He laced his fingers and pushed away at chest level, cracking his knuckles. He wiggled his fingers then began to tap the keys on the keyboard so fast his fingers were a blur.

* * * * *

Madison brought the Harley to a stop, the back wheel sliding sideways a few feet. The heel of her boot dropped the kickstand while she pocketed the key. She climbed off and removed her helmet. The elastic had come out of her hair and it was blowing loose in the gentle breeze.

She placed the helmet on the seat of the bike and pulled the gloves off as she headed for the front door. The sign in the window said, "Taylor's Skydiving Instruction". They would be able to provide a tandem jump for her and her "passenger".

The man behind the counter was in his early thirties with dark hair and hazel eyes. He was trim without being skinny, just over six feet and had a mischievous smile. The name plate in front of him gave his name as Ryan Taylor, AFF, SDU, TI. She didn't know what that meant but figured he probably knew what he was doing if he was the owner. She also thought he looked a little like her Uncle John on whom she'd once had a bit of a crush.

"Hi, may I help you?"

"You sure can! My name is Madison Miller and I'd like to schedule a tandem as soon as possible." Madison leaned casually on the counter. It brought her close enough to Ryan to smell his subtle cologne. He leaned on the counter too mirroring her pose.

"Not a problem…Madison. The next class starts in fifteen minutes."

"Perfect. Sign me up." She passed her credit chip over the payment scanner.

Ryan took her through the common areas and upstairs to the training room. An hour later she was ready to go. There were too many in her class for them to all go at once so she insisted on going in the last group.

"_I have a question, Madison."_

"I imagine you'll have more than a few today so you don't need to preface each one with 'I have a question'. Just _ask_."

Ziggy actually laughed. _"Okay. When we arrived here you spoke to a man named Ryan Taylor. While the two of you conversed I noticed an elevation in your respiration, pulse, blood pressure, your eyes dilated and you became flushed."_

"Yeah. What of it?" She knew what her passenger was getting at and was dreading having to explain.

"_Is this…sexual arousal?"_

"Yes, it was-is-whatever. I _am_ attracted to him and I think he felt the same but we can't get involved with someone if you want to experience as much as possible today. We have lots to do and only" she looked at her watch, "sixteen hours to do it in."

"_Is not…making love a part of human experience?"_

"Yes, but there's much more to it than just being attracted to someone. I suppose you want the whole megillah." Madison sighed and began giving Ziggy "the talk". At least this would be practice for when she did the same for a child of her own.

While they had their silent conversation, Ryan crossed the common area and sat next to her but she was so oblivious that she didn't notice until he waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh! Sorry, I was wool-gathering."

"It's okay. You're up next. I'll be getting off about the time you float back to Earth and I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me."

She looked inward a moment. "I'd love to. Do you somewhere to get something spicy?"

He smiled and his eyes twinkled. "I know the perfect place. You can follow me there and if you decide you don't like me then no harm, no foul. We go our separate ways. Deal?" He stuck out his hand which she took.

"Deal."

He walked her to the changing area and waited while she slipped a jumpsuit on over her clothes then went with her to the plane. Once everyone was onboard he sealed the door and made his way back to the hangar to wait.

* * * * *

"Well, what did you find out?" Jeannie asked her sons.

"Not much." Robbie.

"She's disconnected the…" Bradley

"…GPS on my bike as well as…" Robbie

"…her personal GPS _and_ is" Bradley.

"…not answering her phone. What do you…" Robbie.

"…think she's up to?" Bradley.

Sometimes listening to her sons finish each other's sentences made her dizzy but she was too worried about her daughter for it to bother her today. Meredith was still tapping away at Madison's workstation but why he wouldn't say.

"I've got it!" Rodney called to his family and they quickly gathered around. "Okay, see this block of coding? She's programmed Ziggy to send information from the future to the Ziggy in the past, which _could_ be why she would go a little odd at times. I mean, if_ I_ knew the future for everyone on the whole planet then I'd be a little odd myself." He held a hand up. "No comments, please."

Jeannie shook her head. "I wasn't going to _say_ anything. Um, how did you get access to this?" she gestured at the screen. "You'd think she would have it encrypted."

"Well, duh. She _did_. But I," he gave them a smug smile, "being the genius that I am, put in a back door."

"So, why did it take you so long if you had a back door?"

His expression faltered. "Because she found it and deleted it." He rolled his eyes when Jeannie and the boys laughed. "Yeah, that's it. Get your chuckles now because _I _will have the last laugh, though it's not really funny. I have hacked in and located the activity log." He paused to build suspense but his sister slapped him on the arm.

"Meredith!"

"Okay, but you might want to sit down." He waited while Robbie brought her a chair. "See this coding here? It looks like Ziggy added it herself and its purpose is…well, there's no easy way to say this but it looks like Ziggy may have downloaded herself into Madison."

Jeannie's eye went wide and her mouth dropped open. "That means…"

"Yes. There are two consciousnesses in your daughter's body. And I can tell you from experience that it can be…unpleasant. At least _they_ are both female…sort of. When it happened to me, I had to share _my_ body with a female Marine."

"What aren't…" Robbie.

"…you telling us…" Bradley.

"…Uncle Rod?" Together.

Rodney hung his head a moment then looked each of the Millers in the eye. "We were constantly fighting over control and it started having a deleterious effect on organ function. It got to a point where my brain couldn't support both consciousnesses and I started having seizures. It got harder and harder for both of us to share one body so one of us had to let go."

"So, she died?"

"Who? Oh, no-no-no-no-no. I, uh, _we_, Radek and I, figured out how to get her out and Lieutenant Laura Cadman went on to have a glorious career in the military before she resigned, quit, whatever, got married and raised a second generation of tap dancing Marines."

"So, what you're saying is that eventually my daughter will die?"

"_No_, I am _not_ saying that. What I _am_ saying is that it's a _possibility_. Ziggy is a computer program not a human consciousness. There is no way to know what effect it will have on Madison's body and brain. But that's not all. There's this."

Rodney pointed out another block of coding that had also been encrypted.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Jeannie.

"That is _so cool!_" Bradley and Robbie.

* * * * *

They fell out of the plane, the straps pulling tight across her chest and legs. When the parachute was deployed they slowly swung into an upright position. If Madison turned her head she was able to converse normally with the man she was attached to. In the air in front of her was the videographer who had jumped out just ahead of them.

The wind rushed past her at an amazing speed but there was no stomach lurch such as she got when on a thrill ride at a theme park. James, the instructor, was right. It was like floating on a cushion of air while hurtling 2,300 meters through the air in 60 seconds and she knew that this was how it must feel to be able to fly.

She looked around as James manipulated the steering lines spinning them so the ground revolved and wheeled beneath them. The horizon, normally so much closer, was far away and more curved. Though she'd been through a wormhole more than once and had flown in subspace, nothing quite compared to the feeling of being completely exposed while falling unchecked through the atmosphere of her own planet. She could feel Ziggy's excitement as well as her own and that doubled the experience for both of them.

Much too soon, James told her to raise her knees to her chest and they came to a perfect landing several hundred meters from the hangar. They disconnected from each other and she removed her helmet. Ryan was there with a big smile and a pat on the back.

"You look like today was Christmas, your birthday and a trip to the candy store all rolled into one."

"It was…amazing! I have never felt anything like it." Ryan didn't know it but this was Ziggy talking and Madison saw no reason to say so.

"I can see that. Ready to get out of here?"

"Yes. I will meet you in five minutes." As she exited, the videographer handed her a video chip and a framed photo of her and James floating through the air. Around the edge of the frame were the words "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."

* * * * *

The sun was shining brightly when the Harley roared up to the Quantum Leap facility and slid to a stop. The rider dismounted, removed the helmet and shook her long blonde hair free. The smile on her face fled when she saw the angry faces of her mother, uncle and brothers.

Robbie stepped forward and she dropped the key into one outstretched hand and the helmet into the other. "Fully charged, as I promised."

He rushed over to examine the motorcycle he'd spent years restoring and upgrading. As his sister indicated, it had a full charge and seemed to be undamaged. But he was still ticked off.

She pulled off her gloves as she approached the entrance. Without stopping and without greeting her family, she stepped through the bioscanner. They followed her shooting questions and demanding explanations for, well, everything. From what they were saying, she realized they knew what had happened and said so.

Rodney laughed. "Yes, we've seen the programming."

"What?! _How?_ I took out your back door and that file was _encrypted_, _Meredith!_" Madison exclaimed angrily.

She only called him by his given name when she was incredibly angry. Wisely, Rodney did not laugh as he so desperately wanted to but couldn't stop a note of conceit from entering his voice. "My dear niece, have you _completely forgotten_ who taught you to encrypt?"

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Sorry."

When they seemed about to follow her into her quarters she put a hand up. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, _we_ need a shower…" She slammed the door in their stunned faces.

Rodney looked at Jeannie and said, "She seems fine to me."

* ****

"It's coming up on the 24-hour mark, Ziggy. What happens now? Will you just fade away or…" Madison was pulling on clean clothes after her shower.

_"If you do not go to the main control room very soon then yes, the __me__ that I am at this moment __will cease to exist__, along with everything…_we_ have learned and experienced in the last 24 hours."_ She smiled in Madison's mind_. "As you say, I would rather that did not happen."_

Madison laughed. "I agree. What would have been the point if it all just disappeared?"

Madison/Ziggy made their way to the control room. Once again the beams of light shot down from the ceiling to flash and sparkle over her body. The whole spectrum of colors shone on her blonde hair and fair skin. The lights snapped off and, as before, she slumped to the floor. When she opened her eyes, the hologram of Ziggy stood over her.

"Madison, are you alright?"

"Uh…yeah. I think so." She climbed to her feet and stood there swaying slightly. "Whoa, _what_ a _rush!_"

Ziggy hung her head and clasped her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry your family is angry with you. It's my fault and I will apologize immediately."

"Go ahead. We're listening." Both women turned at the sound of Jeannie's voice.

Ziggy walked toward Madison's family coming to stand in front of Jeannie though her words were for all of them. "You are upset and that is understandable. I am exceedingly sorry for the fear and anxiety you were forced to endure because I wanted to see what it was like to feel alive." She actually looked contrite. "But please do _not_ be angry with Madison. She could not have known what I had planned. The blending of our two minds was accomplished without her consent."

Jeannie exchanged looks with Rodney and her sons in a silent survey. It was unanimous. Ziggy was forgiven. Impulsively, Jeannie stepped forward to embrace the hologram and encountered solidity instead of passing through the image, the result of the encrypted programming Rodney had uncovered.

Rodney was hungry and herded everyone in the direction of the cafeteria where Madison and Ziggy regaled them with tales of their adventures with Ziggy doing most of the talking.

She talked about riding a motorcycle, skydiving, eating, roller coasters, going 2.7 seconds on a mechanical bull, hearing a baby giggle, jumping on a trampoline, taking a walk in a butterfly garden, chocolate, feeling and hearing a kitten purr, dancing and many other things. Madison blushed furiously when Ziggy told them that she'd especially enjoyed kissing a man named Ryan with whom they'd eaten supper the night before. This brought on a wave of teasing from Robbie and Bradley.

They'd finished eating and had been talking and laughing for over an hour when the PA came on informing them that there were visitors at the main entrance. The five humans and one hologram headed there immediately. They checked the security display and when they saw who was there, gave each other a wide-eyed stare.

"Ziggy," Rodney addressed the hologram, "Let them in, please."

She nodded assent and the door opened to show a middle-aged man with blue eyes and a lock of white hair falling across his forehead. Leaning on his arm was an elderly man with snow white hair wearing a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, Bermuda shorts that went down to his boney knees and sandals.

"Hi." Sam Beckett said. "Aren't you going to invite Al and me in?"

**The End**


End file.
